MAN Truck & Bus established 300 sqm innovative office environment under the motto “the future of work at MAN”

MAN Truck & Bus established 300 sqm innovative office environment under the motto “the future of work at MAN”

Commercial vehicle manufacturer strikes out on new paths with innovative office environments // Executive Board as cultural pioneer // Scientific support from the Fraunhofer Institute

MUNICH, 08-May-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — MAN Truck & Bus has established a new and innovative office environment under the motto “the future of work at MAN”. The “MAN Future Lab” is an experimental area covering 300 square meters, which is perfectly tailored to the working world of tomorrow with its innovative floor plan and the latest IT equipment. Teams from across the entire company now have the opportunity to utilize the rooms in Munich for a month. They can test and help shape modern work methods under the instruction of a coach. The aim is to then gradually integrate the resulting findings into the entire company.

The rapid advancement of digitization is permanently changing the working world. This is also reflected in what employees require from the company. To position itself as a top employer and address these expectations, a new form of cooperation is required. The basis for this is established with the MAN Future Lab.

For Joachim Drees, Chairman of the Executive Board of MAN Truck & Bus and MAN SE, the Future Lab is a symbol for a new spirit:

“For me, it is particularly important that we establish a new culture of cooperation, inspired by the start-up scene: it must be allowed to make mistakes, to experiment, and to think. This requires a suitable working environment.”

“The MAN Future Lab will make a permanent contribution to the cultural shift at MAN Truck & Bus. Many of our employees will have the possibility to experience and test working methods of the future. It is a milestone on our path towards becoming a trend-setting employer. By initiating the Future Lab the Human Resources department is leading the way ahead”, explains Josef Schelchshorn, Chief Human Resources Officer at MAN Truck & Bus.

The entire Executive Board moved into the MAN Future Lab in the very first week. As pioneers, the six Executive Board members will test new forms of cooperation and communication, thereby sending a strong message to the workforce. With this project, MAN Truck & Bus is also firing the starting gun for the deconstruction of traditional work structures while sustainably promoting the digital transformation. The aim is to ensure that work is more efficient, faster and more networked in the future. This is intended to show the contribution that the new work environment and new methods of cooperation make to corporate success. The MAN Future Lab is therefore receiving scientific support from the Fraunhofer Institute.

Logical combination of tradition and modernity

How does an established company with around 35,000 employees overcome the challenges of digitization and successfully implement “Work 4.0”?

MAN Truck & Bus decided on a 360-degree approach to successfully implement the MAN Future Lab. Besides scientific support, a coach for agile work methods is available to the internal teams. This coach reveals new forms of cooperation and familiarizes employees with the associated tools. The aim of promoting networked work methods is also reflected in the furnishing concept in cooperation with Vitra GmbH.

The Works Council also supports the new form of office work. “As the MAN workforce, we have a great interest in promoting contemporary and forward-looking work methods”, says Saki Stimoniaris, Chairman of the General Works Council. “In the Future Lab, we can test new concepts and work methods, which many of us will be faced with sooner or later. As the Works Council, we always provide constructive advice and support for the changes. We make sure that the developments are implemented for the benefit of all colleagues.”

About the MAN Future Lab

The MAN Future Lab is established on around 300 square meters at the Munich headquarters and is a milestone on the path towards work environment 4.0 at MAN Truck & Bus. The new office concept pursues an open-space approach and is divided into various zones, which are individually adapted to the most divergent of work situations. The equipment used in the MAN Future Lab allows various hardware and software solutions to be tested thanks to a new modern IT infrastructure.

www.karriere.man.eu/zukunftswerkstatt

About MAN HR Innovation 4.0

The MAN HR Innovation 4.0 department is actively helping to shape the cultural change of the long-established company to becoming an employer of the future and implements change management projects, such as the MAN Future LAB. The MAN Future LAB creates an innovative work environment with an integrated concept.

SOURCE: MAN SE

MEDIA CONTACT

Manuel Hiermeyer
MAN Truck & Bus
Corporate Communications
Phone:  +49 89 1580-2001
E-mail:  presse-man@man.eu