In recent years, the working world has undergone significant transformation due to digitalization, skills shortages, and sustainability, presenting companies with an increasing number of challenges. The work attitude of the upcoming generation of employees is also changing and influencing the labor market: young talents have a new understanding of work and associated demands for their workplace. To remain attractive to well-educated applicants in the long term, companies must continuously realign themselves.
The most important desires of young people include meaningful tasks and employers who share their sustainable values. They want to achieve social added value through their work.
Siemens Mobility has set itself the goal of developing innovative technologies and sustainable mobility solutions. The focus on sustainability not only pays off for entry-level employees, as internal surveys clearly show. At the end of 2022, regardless of age group and position, 86% of all employees stated that they were proud of the company’s contribution to a sustainable future.
At the interface of future challenges and economic change, Siemens Mobility offers employees new opportunities to shape their everyday work. The Braunschweig-based company initiative FLoW (Fast Leveraging of Workflows) enables employees to design software robots that take over frequently occurring routine tasks. FLoW bundles various approaches in the field of robotic process automation, or RPA, including corresponding training, exchange opportunities between interested and experienced developers, and technical support.
“The possible applications for RPA are diverse and noticeably relieve employees. An example: for the monthly closing of a department, data from various sources are needed. In the past, one had to spend many hours searching for and downloading information and reports before the actual work could begin,” says Benjamin Bock, head of the global FLoW initiative. “Today, a robot takes care of this overnight for us, saving us from monotonous, time-consuming research and allowing us to focus on higher-value tasks, such as analyzing and interpreting data. Because as versatile as robots may be, they cannot yet mimic human core competencies such as understanding and creativity,” Bock continues.
Robotized process automation is already being used in all company areas within the framework of FLoW – from top management to internal audit to logistics processes. The software robots make it possible to minimize everyday routine tasks, so that the team can better utilize their individual skills and qualifications. The use of robots counteracts task compression and creates time for creative and value-creating activities.
In addition, FLoW offers versatile training opportunities in the form of guided training and self-learning material for interested parties of all levels of knowledge. The training is aimed at all employees who want to design their own robots – regardless of whether they work alone or in a team, with a focus on their own processes or in areas outside their field of expertise.
From Braunschweig to the world Through its leading role, the Braunschweig location is increasingly establishing itself as an international center of competence for RPA. As a regional initiative with a global impact, the FLoW community already spans 18 countries. Over 50 teams have already automated more than 500 processes together – in addition, numerous other members optimize their own processes with the methods provided by FLoW. Thus, in addition to employee satisfaction and economic efficiency, the attractiveness of the Braunschweig location also increases.
Benjamin Bock is motivated: “Currently, we are expanding our core team to further expand the portfolio of digitalization solutions in the next step. In this context, we will also offer further innovative offers and training courses to support our colleagues in their work and increase productivity at the location, but also …to ensure a pleasant and efficient work environment. Therefore, it is important to adhere to the guidelines and regulations set forth by the company in terms of behavior, safety, and quality of work. Additionally, it is crucial to communicate effectively and respectfully with colleagues and superiors to promote teamwork and collaboration. By doing so, we can create a positive and productive workplace culture that benefits both the employees and the company as a whole.
Author: Helen Looney
