Digitization should actually simplify many things in the world of work, but according to a survey by the German Federation of Trade Unions, for some it is more of a burden. The DGB chairwoman Fahimi speaks of an "alarm signal". There is an increased risk of mental illness.
According to a survey, many employees see digitization in the workplace as a burden. Significantly more respondents stated, for example, that the demands on them had grown with the digital transformation or that they felt more monitored, as a study by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) shows. On the other hand, significantly fewer employees see improved working conditions. According to the DGB, 40 percent of employees feel more burdened by the digitization of their work.
For two thirds of the employees, the requirements for their qualifications have increased. 46 percent of the survey participants stated that they now have to work on tasks in parallel more often. And around a third complains about increased surveillance in the workplace. On the other hand, significantly fewer employees gave positive assessments of the changes brought about by digitization. Around 23 percent of those surveyed stated that digital work equipment had increased the scope for decision-making in their work. "The results of the survey are an alarm signal," said DGB chairwoman Yasmin Fahimi. "Digitization should be support and relief instead of burdening employees, creating stress and thus increasing the risk of mental illness."
Also because of the corona pandemic, according to the DGB survey, digitization has now arrived almost everywhere in working life: 83 percent of employees use digital work equipment in their work. More than half of the employees regularly use video conferences. However, this often leads to an intensification of work: "If video conferences are used intensively, three quarters (74 percent) report an increasing number of meetings," explained the DGB. Above all, Fahimi called for more co-determination by employees when designing work with digital means, because if there are opportunities for participation, digitization is rated much more positively.
"After all, employees are experts in their day-to-day work and also in their well-being," she explained. However, only 26 percent of those surveyed stated that they were able to influence the changes at their own workplace in the long term. According to the DGB, the Good Work Index survey is representative and has been carried out annually since 2007. This year, between January and June, 6,689 randomly selected employees from all sectors, professions, income and age groups, regions and company sizes were surveyed by telephone about their working conditions.
