Carmen Chirita, Chief Operating Officer, DB Global Technology
- What are the trends related to technology that 2022 will bring or will continue in our industry? How will they impact us? What opportunities and challenges should we expect? How do you plan to use them in your favor and to be ahead of other companies?
As organizations look to move from recovery to reinvention, digital transformation has now become the top priority, along with a heightened focus on talent, the best ways to attract and retain our workforces and encourage growth and development.
As we look forward and prepare for a post-pandemic future, we’re optimistic that embracing the latest tech trends – wholistic Cloud based IT strategies, AI adoption at scale, ML, will power to shape the years ahead and help address some of the emerging pressing challenges.
One of these foreseeable challenges resides in the space of Cybersecurity and software assurance. While COVID -19 has caused organizations to push out technology as fast as possible, cybersecurity threats are evolving at even faster pace, with threats lurking in the gaps and getting creative.
During the past couple of years, we have witnessed employee expectations change tremendously. Before the pandemic people used to follow technology, nowadays technology follows people – to where and when they need to work.
While all organizations talk about and have acknowledged or even accepted hybrid working models, this may mean different things to different people. It does not necessarily mean equal home/office measure; it ultimately means giving the employees the flexibility in the balance to choose for themselves within a company’s frame and with the goal of generating organizational value rather than adhering to outdated rules or mindsets. And in a market where the demand for tech talent is outpacing the supply available, it has become paramount for us to create a community giving our employees a deep sense of belonging and mutual commitment.
Iulia Cirmaciu, HR Director, DB Global Technology
- The way of working, recruiting, onboarding and so on were probably the most affected activities by the pandemic. What do you think is here to stay and what new trends will emerge in 2022 when it comes to work? What are the challenges that most companies could face? How will companies, as well as their employees, be affected? Does your company plan to implement new strategies for recruiting and retaining people? Do you intend to go back to the office? When? What are the changes that your employees should expect to see there?
“Most certainly the key word when it comes to future of work is flexibility. Going forward, most companies will need to face this challenge and adjust their processes and ways of working to best fit the expectations of the people in the post-pandemic era.
At Deutsche Bank, we learned that adaptability and resilience are key. We know and we are grateful that our colleagues have these traits, as they have proven over and over in the past two years. We managed to keep our productivity high, we committed and delivered on time and we grew our company by more people than ever before. In 2021, we hired close to 500 people and we did all that while working exclusively remotely. We have redesigned our processes – from recruitment and onboarding to training. Still, this is not necessarily an ideal set-up and, in my opinion, it is not sustainable on the long term. It’s not as if you would create a great place to work in a normal set-up, fostering innovation, collaboration, team bonding, a culture and a way of working built on principles and concepts such as happiness and fulfilment.
We do miss the good old days when we met in the office, enjoyed a good coffee and mingled with our colleagues. When we welcomed a new colleague and gave him or her a tour of our colourful office. When we hosted a Townhall meeting for all our team members, sharing some exciting news. Or the actual daily stand-up meetings where everyone was planning their day gathered around the table. We are well aware that not all these activities will be possible anymore, or at least not in the same way, but as mentioned before, flexibility is the key, so we will need once again to adjust.
And yes, we are planning to return to the office, following a hybrid, more flexible model that will mix the benefits of working from home (more focus on tasks and projects, not wasting time in traffic) and the effectiveness of meeting people face to face (socialising and connecting, solving issues quickly, brainstorming, innovating together on and, why not, making friends😊). We are confident that this model will match the current needs, meeting the future of work requirements, by integrating the flexibility and agility that define all of us these days. I expect the transition to have its setbacks, and we would need to carefully consider the fact that we have literally changed our lives since March 2020, when we started to work from home. The process of returning to office (yes, I believe we should think of it as a process rather than an event) should be managed with tolerance , patience and care.”