Work 4.0: how to make a success of digital cooperation.

Digital transformation can make (working) life much easier, but it also presents new challenges and opens up new fields of learning. Digital skills are becoming increasingly important in today’s workplace. As well as knowing how to use digital tools, employees must be able to connect and network "digitally".

Giulia Roth

10 March 2020 | 3 Min. Reading Time

That’s why CSS has joined forces with the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the Swiss Paraplegic Centre in Nottwil, SUVA, the Lucerne Cantonal Administration and the City of Zurich to create a new training opportunity for CSS employees entitled Ich in der Arbeitswelt 4.0 ("Me in the World of Work 4.0").

The kick-off event on 4 February got this year’s programme under way. Christian Flückiger, the man in charge of the training course at CSS, gives us an insight.

What are the main challenges CSS faces in preparing for the future world of work?

On a technical level, new technologies mean having to adapt to new forms of cooperation and new working models; simple tasks will decline over the short to medium term, while complex activities increase. On a personal level, this means that new skills are required. Being able to empathise with other people and understand their problems will certainly become more important. As will the ability to quickly connect with others in order to solve a problem.

How did the "Me in the World of Work 4.0" programme come about?

CSS was looking for a course through which we could raise awareness of "Work 4.0" and the topics associated with it among a broad group of employees. However, we couldn’t quite find anything that met our requirements and where digital forms of learning were already part of the coursework. So we developed the programme from scratch together with the Swiss Paraplegic Centre (SPZ) in Nottwil, SUVA and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU).

I like going on a voyage of discovery and am looking forward to familiarising myself with new and efficient tools and applications.

Daniel Affentranger, Deputy Section Head/Group Head, Member of Management (course participant)

How does the programme differ from other training opportunities?

"Me in the World of Work 4.0" is not a traditional course in which participants only learn in the classroom or at home. It is primarily taught in the digital space, where the course content is tackled together in small learning groups. By looking at specific, action-oriented examples, participants get to know the digital world and how to make the most of the opportunities it affords them. The "Me in the World of Work 4.0" module can be combined with two other modules and ultimately lead to a CAS qualification. Modules 2 and 3 are currently being prepared, and Module 2 will be launched later this year.

How can you ensure that the course content benefits everyone taking part?

We try and meet the needs of all the participants by not only providing a broad introduction to each topic, but also including more specialised content. This can often be studied on a voluntary basis, and even people with good prior knowledge can benefit from it. Furthermore, the course is not simply about individuals acquiring knowledge. We also promote social skills, such as the participants’ ability to organise themselves into peer groups.

Being able to share my ideas with the other participants is important to me; that way, I can gather lots of different points of view and information. We’re always talking about change, agility and transformation. But I’m never sure whether this is being correctly interpreted or practised in the environment I work in. The things people do and say are often contradictory. I would also like to be able to respond correctly to the queries addressed to the Works Committee.

Meltem Yayla, Benefit and Case Management Specialist on the Works Committee (course participant)

Who is the course suitable for?

The course is basically aimed at all CSS employees who would like to find out more about the world of work in the digital age. More than 30 participants have signed up for the inaugural course in 2019. When it is held again later this year, there will be two new partners involved – the Lucerne Cantonal Administration and the City of Zurich – so CSS can only send a maximum of 20 people to the course. These places were also snapped up more or less instantly.