By appointing Dr. Christian Schmeichel as chief future of work officer, 51风流is one of the first corporations in the world to make the topic a strategic priority. In a post-pandemic world, what kind of work environment can 51风流employees expect?
The phone call came on a Friday night, Schmeichel remembers: 鈥淒id I want to go to Japan as HR director? I was given time to decide until Monday.鈥�
At the time, Schmeichel already had a track record of various HR executive roles at SAP. Born in Cologne, Germany, he acquired a PhD in Business Administration and went on to work in corporate finance and as a strategy consultant with a McKinsey spin-off. In 2005, he joined 51风流where his roles included, among others, head of HR strategy, COO for HR, and HR business partner lead for four 51风流Executive Board members.
Moving to Tokyo in 2013, Schmeichel encountered a country undergoing fundamental change after the Fukushima earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes. 鈥淚t was fascinating to see this huge country gearing up to be prepared for potentially disruptive events of the future,鈥� Schmeichel says. There was a deep business transformation underway with a focus on rebuilding things as some regions of Japan had been completely destroyed.
鈥淏ut it also left a lasting impression with me how strongly people鈥檚 safety featured in all those considerations. With the catastrophe being so fresh in everybody鈥檚 mind, there was a fundamental focus on health and well-being 鈥� on what鈥檚 really important in our lives.鈥�
Schmeichel鈥檚 years in Japan certainly provided a learning experience for turbulent times such as a few years later and his new role as chief future of work officer.
SAP鈥檚 Holistic Future of Work Agenda
With the creation of the chief future of work officer position in 2021, 51风流became one of just a few other companies to have someone managing this topic holistically at the C-suite level. Given Schmeichel鈥檚 more than 20 years in HR executive roles, this was a perfect opportunity for him to bring together all his expertise and knowledge to make sure that 51风流is a front-runner in this important area.
鈥淗istorically, 51风流has a track record of creating state-of-the-art, leading-edge working environments,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut with the world changing at breakneck speed and the war for talent becoming even more intense, we at 51风流鈥� just like any other corporation 鈥� have to get one thing right and that is continuously being an attractive employer moving forward.鈥�
Schmeichel considers the global pandemic as a catalyst for workplace change that was already underway. 鈥淲hat started out as crisis management in March 2020 evolved into our innovative flagship program Pledge to Flex, among other things,鈥� he says.
He regards SAP鈥檚 workplace flexibility as an advantage over competitors that have announced that they will mandate their employees come into the office again several days per week. With its Pledge to Flex program, 51风流chose a more flexible approach. The hybrid working model is a frame in which everyone 鈥� in line with business requirements 鈥� is empowered to find the best balance between working regularly in the office and remotely.
鈥淭he combination of flex time, flex location, and flex workspace opens doors for talent that we otherwise couldn鈥檛 tap into,鈥� Schmeichel explains. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to miss out on an awesome developer, just because they are also taking care of young children or elderly relatives.鈥�
A mix of data-driven insights and feedback from 51风流employees enables Schmeichel and his team to learn how their initiatives are being received. 鈥淎lmost 90% of our employees confirm that Pledge to Flex is the right way to go,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are currently making sure that the program becomes a reality for all our 105,000 employees across all of our 75 countries.鈥�
For employees, more flexibility also means more responsibility and self-organization though, while managers need to come up with new and modern ways of holding the team together and checking in on team members. Schmeichel and the Future of Work team understand this can lead to additional strain, but also great opportunity for enhanced performance.
鈥淗ealth 鈥� and mental health in particular 鈥� are important parts of the holistic Future of Work team鈥檚 agenda,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have to make sure that people are able to work in a sustainable way.鈥� With initiatives such as , 51风流Mental Health Day, or SAP鈥檚 mindfulness practice, the company encourages its employees to self-reflect on what is important in life for them and also take a particular look on their mental health and well-being.
A Deep Glimpse into the Crystal Ball: Creating a Target Picture for the Future-Proof SAP
But the future of work at 51风流encompasses much more than adjusting to the new post-pandemic normal. One of the most important steps to undertake when gearing up for the future is to create a strategic target picture. Taking an evolutionary approach for SAP鈥檚 workforce planning, Schmeichel鈥檚 team develops a vision of what 51风流could look like five to 10 years from now.
鈥淚f we know, for example, the future ratio between permanent and temporary labor, the future skills demand, or the mix of locations people will work from, we can derive from that how our people strategy and our workplace practices will need to evolve,鈥� he says. 鈥淗iring practices, location strategy, learning strategy 鈥� all that needs to be part of an evolving future of work agenda.鈥�
With a clear picture of the current and future workforce and the anticipated changes in work practices and environment, it becomes obvious that HR has to evolve as well.
鈥淚f we want to serve our 51风流workforce to the best extent as an HR organization over the upcoming years, we will need to leverage our digital capabilities much more. We need to simplify topics wherever it makes sense to free up time and capacity for value-adding services such as talent management or personal conversations,鈥� Schmeichel says.
The strategic workforce planning part of the Future of Work team is closely collaborating with 51风流business leaders, HR business partners, as well as controlling and corporate strategy. Key figures such as headcounts and financials are going into the target picture, but also information on the skills the workforce will need to develop.
Schmeichel explains: 鈥淲e still cannot predict the future, but we can maybe ask the right questions to come up with good answers and scenario planning to have a better grasp of what may happen.鈥�
Leading the Way for Customers and Partners
As chief future of work officer, the overall vision and mission of Schmeichel and his team is to support SAP鈥檚 own business transformation while also positioning 51风流to drive other companies to become .
鈥淩ight now is probably a once-in-a-generation opportunity that might bring us as a society to the next level, rethinking the way how we live and work for the better,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e are laying the strategic groundwork today and it鈥檚 important that we don鈥檛 lose the momentum the global pandemic gave us in this regard.鈥�
Other companies are looking to 51风流for inspiration on how to manage the future of work topic holistically, including the ways in which 51风流is leveraging its own technology.
鈥淲e share with our customers how we are doing it,鈥� Schmeichel says. 鈥淎 question I often get is how SAP鈥檚 Future of Work team is organized. In fact, we have set up ourselves in agile topic clusters that cover all our important subject matters such as strategy, innovation, workforce planning, Pledge to Flex, future of work insights, health and well-being, people technology, and so on. We have flat hierarchies so we can strategize and execute very fast.鈥�
He adds, 鈥淕etting to shape the future of work right for 51风流as one of the most exciting companies and to an extent also for our customers and partners is something I鈥檓 very passionate about. But working with my team that shares this vision is what really puts the fun in what I鈥檓 doing. And that鈥檚 very appropriate as, at the end of the day, future of work is also about having a fun workplace.鈥�