That is what the bakery 'Die Bread purists'said in Speyer. Because it was becoming increasingly difficult to find new talent, the owners analysed what prevents young people from becoming bakers. And that's when the night shift came first. But who actually says that you have to start at 2 o'clock in the morning? This is actually only necessary if you want to offer customers freshly baked rolls from 7 o'clock. The bread purists therefore decided not to bake breakfast rolls anymore and not to start operations until 6 o'clock in the morning. Sales now take place in the afternoon, and the offer focuses on artisanal breads. This gives the dough more time to develop, resulting in tasty breads that last longer and are easy to digest. And the customers? He is enthusiastic and runs the bread purists into the place.
What does such an example mean for other companies that also have problems with young talent?
First of all, it is important to find out what young people don't like about the job offered. It could be the night shift, like here. Or too tight working hours. Lack of infrastructure. Lack of equipment for mobile work. These are all topics that are easy to tackle and change. However, the Speyer bread purists have gone one step further: They have questioned their basic assumptions. Who says that every baker has to offer fresh bread rolls at 7 o'clock in the morning? No one!
Many job descriptions include such basic assumptions. One of them was until before Corona: This activity can only be carried out in the office. With a great many jobs in recent months, however, it has been found that this is not the case. Of course, there are jobs that can only be done locally. Anyone who supervises a machine must be with the machine to operate it as long as it cannot be controlled remotely. And we are already questioning this assumption.
There are now many companies that service and repair the machines using Augmented Reality (AR): The fitter is no longer on site, but supports the machine operator who is on site using software using AR glasses to carry out the maintenance or repair himself. As early as the 1980s, there were systems that enabled production toGhost Shift'to work. In the event of discrepancies, production was shut down without further ado. Over the last 40 years, this technology has developed in many industries in such a way that it would be possible to operate the machines even from a distance.
However, it is not a question of making people superfluous. It's about thinking about how you can make working conditions so attractive for employees that you can find new talent. And that is only possible by thoroughly challenging all beliefs and assumptions: Who says that it must be this way?
If you're looking for assistance with this challenge: I'm ready!
