Simply put, a matching process brings together what belongs together. To each their own or a lid to every pot – or rather, learning needs and know-how or project and skills. And here we are, right in the middle of Skill Matching and the question of what the whole thing has to do with the changing world of work.
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In the summer of 2019, we asked 100 people with and without management responsibility to answer the following questions: How well does knowledge transfer work in your company? What sources do you and your employees use to inform you? How well do you know your colleagues? And would you like to learn more from them? We were particularly interested in whether there were differences between employees with and without management responsibility.
A recent study by management researchers Julian Kawohl and Jonas Wieland from the University of Applied Sciences (HTW) Berlin concludes that 64 of the 80 largest medium-sized companies lack digital experience among top management. The scientists examined the lives of almost all managers of the 80 largest German medium-sized companies, including companies such as Rewe, Bosch, Heraeus and Boehringer Ingelheim.
The study thus provides a starting point for active knowledge transfer in a company in two ways: Read more
Dr. Elisabeth Keßeböhmer & Nicole Vogler
The world is becoming more complex every day, and organizations are facing the challenge of responding smartly. In particular, the banking industry is strongly affected by change and urgently needs to reorient and innovate. While many banks in Germany appear uncertain and are on the decline, Hamburger Sparkasse relies on good networking and is thus definitely one of the pioneers in the banking industry. With the introduction of the internal Tandemploy software as an internal networking platform (christened “FlexWorkz”), they show how flexibilization and networking can look in a modern working environment. They use Tandemploy software to better network all employees and pave the way for new modes of working. Within HASPA, employees can now easily find job sharing, knowledge sharing (expert knowledge and career tips), reverse mentoring and lunch dating. We talked with Dr. Elisabeth Keßeböhmer (Head of Human Resources) and Nicole Vogler (HR Manager & Project Manager for Tandemploy SaaS at HASPA) about the great importance of networking in the context of digital transformation, their tool “FlexWorkz,” and their first success stories.
At our Berlin office, we work with the highest degree of flexibility – and think in terms of tasks, not in fixed positions. We are always trying new forms and formats of work and trying every day to live what we preach to the outside world. In our 30-member team, all colleagues work in flexible work models. Currently we have three job-sharing tandems, four interdisciplinary project teams, five freelancers and 12 colleagues with a four-day week. We want to introduce some of them today and explain why we do what we do.
Nedeljko Prodanovic (Managing Partner)
Stonehedge Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is a real-estate developer based in Berlin and its group of companies includes all types of skills, from acquisition to sales. They believe in flexible working and an open culture. We talked to Nedeljko Prodanovic about flexible working models, his wishes for their first tandem position, and the corporate culture of Stonehedge.
For two years, Nicole and Johanna have shared the position as Head of Tactical Planning at Beiersdorf. Find out how they met each other, how they organize their everyday job sharing, and what they like about this model.
Vera has been working at Beiersdorf’s production plant in Berlin for several years. She is currently on parental leave with her third child. She spoke with us in an interview about her previous journey at Beiersdorf, her experiences with part-time work, and her wishes for the future.
Again and again, the topic of job sharing is associated with women; with the re-entry of mothers after parental leave; with the compatibility of work and family life. At the same time, the working model can do much more – and is particularly appealing to men.
Andrea and Cindy work in a job tandem as the Senior Medical Marketing Manager in Medical Management of the Business Unit Pharmacy Germany. They told us in an interview what makes their arrangement special, how they organize themselves, and what job sharing means to them.
Nathalie is currently responsible for the project management of the annual international employee survey at Beiersdorf’s Center of Excellence (CoE) Development / Employee Engagement. She works part time and is very interested in job sharing. We talked with her about the benefits of flexible work and about two:share.
Sepideh and Dorothe have been working in a job share for Global Product Development Lip Care at Beiersdorf since 2014. In the interview, they talked about why they opted for job sharing, how they organize themselves, and how their work has changed because of the job-sharing model.
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Gesa and Rixa work for Beiersdorf AG in the Category Test Team of Eucerin/Health Care. They have been in a tandem since May 2017. In the interview, they talk about how they found each other, what job sharing means to them, and how a good job-sharing organization works.
Kerstin and Katrin share the position of Marketing Manager of NIVEA Face Care & Deo at Beiersdorf. This is their second time working together in job sharing already. They told us in an interview what makes them so enthusiastic about this model and how they organize themselves.
When deciding on job sharing, questions often crop up in the beginning. This “StarterKit” is available to help the tandems and HR department with a smooth start.
Eva Schubert is currently living her dream: she lives and works on Tenerife. She converted her 9-to-5 job as a social media coordinator into a job share and swapped her office in Cologne for a coworking opportunity in Tenerife. Eva told us in an interview how this came about, how life and work in Tenerife are, and whether she wants to remain flexible and independent of location in the future.
Elly Oldenbourg and Sabine Georg © Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
SabElly – that’s Elly Oldenbourg and Sabine Georg, who are in a Creative Agency Manager tandem at Google Germany. Sabine and Elly told us in an interview how they found each other, what makes them enthusiastic about job sharing, and how they organize their everyday work in the tandem. They also give a few tips on how working flexibly can function and explain why you should worry much less about the issues of close teamwork and the possible slowdown of your corporate career.
There are a few prejudices that are seemingly inseparable from the term “job sharing.” For one, many people still think that job sharing is simply part time with a new, nicer name. Additionally, this model is consistently assumed to be much more expensive and, above all, more time-consuming than “normal” jobs. It’s high time to show that these prejudices are just that, and demonstrate the added value that job sharers bring to business.
At Tandemploy, we have a special meeting: Every Monday, the team members meet and talk about Happy Moments – professionally and/or privately – from the past week. That’s the Happy Meeting. Instead of a long meeting, we just go through a quick round, and everybody starts the new week happy and motivated. As everyone knows, we like to share, so starting now, we will be showcasing some of these Happy Moments.
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The practical implementations and effectiveness of the concept of job sharing remain under-researched. The benefits are intuitive and emotionally understandable – but tangible evidence and numbers lag behind. Tandemploy would like to change that by exploring the pitfalls, advantages, cultural conditions, and much more using diverse, collaborative research.
A recent collaboration with the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen and the University of Hamburg has just brought to light some amazing things. Three different types of job sharers were identified whose “career concepts” do not have much in common with our previous understandings. It has become clear that commitment is the new diligence!
Brigitte Abrell has been working as a manager for a large German insurance company for many years – part-time. In addition, she also works as a certified business coach, gives lectures and advises companies. She is convinced that part-time leadership is a working model for the future and has written a book about it. We talked with Ms. Abrell about her personal experiences in her career path, the challenges faced by part-time managers, and her book.
Michael Eckstein is the managing director of the IT and web service provider 3m5. He believes in work that meshes with life and is currently on his own 6-month parental leave. At his company, he’s setting an example for what he hopes to see in the working world as a whole: more flexibility, more friendship and letting go of the 40-hour full-time mindset, even for managerial jobs. Clearly a Change Agent for us!
