human resources

Manufacturing companies are currently facing many hurdles. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find qualified workers, so-called blue collar workers. Technology adoption and system usability also pose challenges in the industry, as digital time tracking and shift scheduling are far from the norm in the industrial sector. Human resources software should facilitate the daily tasks of departments in order to achieve business goals. The use of such technologies saves valuable time as processes are automated. The needs of employees are put in the foreground to improve both resource planning and communication of manufacturing companies.

The increase of complexity in the field of production due to “Industrie 4.0” causes also a rapid increase of the complexity of tasks on the shopfloor level. Thus, efficient methods for the systematic identification of the competence deficits of the employees as well as new forms of knowledge management for an adequate administration of knowledge have to be established.

The motivation of employees is an essential requirement for operational efficiency, the quality of the production process and the effectiveness of the work force. Therefore the primary objective for a company’s success should be the achievement of a high degree of employment motivation and satis-faction. Nevertheless, a high motivation of employees is not a matter of course. Therefore, we empirically investigate the status quo of employee orientation and motivation of the workforce aiming to identify potential improvements with regard to a better employee orientation. The results are surprising: The majority of employees are dissatisfied with the work tasks, the leadership of the supervisors or the working atmosphere in the company. The consequence: Lower works force motivation and a poor quality of employee performance, even though in the service industries employees are key for delivering quality and results.