From flexible working arrangements to teleworking – New Work is all about making work function better for everyone involved. And it’s not just about the employees – companies also benefit from New Work.
What is New Work?
The term ‘New Work’ was first coined by the British think tank Demos in a report published in 2006. The report defined New Work as ‘work that is enabled by new technologies and working practices and that often occurs outside the traditional office’.
Since then, the term has been adopted by a number of organisations and companies and has become a collective term for a variety of new forms of work. The spiritual father of the New Work movement is the late Prof. Frithjof Bergmann. Bergmann was Professor of Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Michigan and called for a radical rethink in the world of work back in the 1980s.
Advantages of New Work
There are a number of factors behind the popularity of New Work. Firstly, there is a growing realisation that the traditional 9-5 working day is no longer the most effective way to work. Thanks to advances in technology, many employees are now able to work flexibly and outside of the traditional office environment. This includes working from home, in co-working spaces or anywhere else that has an internet connection.
Secondly, there is a growing awareness of the importance of work-life balance. More and more employees are looking for ways to improve their work-life balance. New Work offers employees the flexibility to harmonise their work with their personal commitments without having to give up their professional ambitions.
Thirdly, New Work is seen as a way of getting employees more involved. In a traditional 9-5 working day, they often feel that they are just slogging away without any real sense of purpose. New Work offers employees the opportunity to be more creative and take more responsibility for their work. This can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce.
Fourthly, New Work can help companies to be more productive. When employees work flexibly, there is less need for expensive office space. This frees up resources that can be used for investment in other areas of the company.
Finally, New Work is seen as a way to attract and retain the best talent. With the traditional 9-5 working day, it can be difficult to attract and retain top talent. However, with New Work, organisations can make a more attractive offer to potential employees, which can help attract and retain the best talent.
Anyone who thinks New Work is just a buzzword will be left behind
The increasing importance of work-life balance is particularly noticeable among young talents. For millennials, values that go beyond simply earning money are important. Of course, there are also companies that take advantage of this and try to entice their applicants with modern offices, fruit baskets or gym memberships. Outwardly, they claim to be open-minded and innovative, but in reality, everyday working life is characterised by strict hierarchies and controls.
Unfortunately, there are always black sheep, but it is clear that companies that only use New Work as a lure will sooner or later lose their employees.
What does all this mean for the corporate world?
The rise of New Work is inevitable. The traditional eight-hour working day is no longer appropriate in the modern world. New Work offers employees the flexibility to balance their work with their personal commitments without having to give up their professional ambitions. It also gives them the opportunity to be more creative and take more responsibility for their work. This can lead to a more engaged and motivated workforce. Finally, New Work can help organisations to be more productive by freeing up resources that can be used to invest in other areas of the business.
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