Every crisis also presents an opportunity – an opportunity to accelerate digitalization and the future of work. Remote working has gained momentum. A study by the Munich-based Ifo Institute in July of this year revealed that 54% of companies continue to rely on home offices. Remote working and hybrid work models will therefore become permanently established.
The proportion of freelancers will increase
In an interview with the German weekly newspaper "Die Zeit," Professor Werner Eichhorst, who researches the future of work and the changing world of work at the Institute of Labor Economics in Bonn, stated that he does not believe it is possible to simply turn back the clock in light of the changes taking place in companies. In October, a study of 500 experts (the "Life, Work, Education 2035" future study), commissioned by the Bertelsmann Foundation and Münchner Kreis e.V., revealed that employment will predominantly evolve towards hybrid models. Fifty-nine percent of respondents believe that, in the long term, the majority of people in Germany will work as freelancers. This is attributed to the high degree of flexibility and the ability to balance family and career when choosing work content and companies.
The office is where you are
“We are witnessing a large-scale, nationwide experiment in the digitalization of work, the speed of which seemed unimaginable until recently,” Josephine Hofmann, Head of Research at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization, recently told Der Spiegel. The demand for experts who form think tanks for companies is high. The trend is toward comprehensive perspectives through diversity and specialists. Therefore, talent recruiters are expanding their search area in terms of location, time, and employment type, and are increasingly relying on remote workers from outside the company. Project-based work is becoming significantly more efficient through agile work structures, and cumbersome hierarchies and mandatory on-site presence are giving way to the experiences many companies had to gain during the pandemic. Work is no longer a place, but is seen as an activity, a task to be completed, and everyone has the freedom to choose the ideal circumstances for doing so. “I go to work” is being replaced by “I work”—regardless of location: The office is wherever you are. Working, leading, and briefing remotely has been made possible by technological tools and has become the new normal. What has been evident in the freelance copywriting, writing, and journalism industry for some time now is the demand for deep-rooted professionals, not just those with shallow roots. The need for experienced online/website copywriters, ghostwriters for personal branding, or specialist journalists for topics such as medical technology, blockchain, or data security has grown.
Free talent for greater diversity
Where can you quickly find the perfect, hand-picked, and precisely matched individual for your current needs? Your own network can often only offer limited help, and searching the World Wide Web yourself is time-consuming and rarely efficient. SCRIBERS[HUB], a boutique talent agency, helps you find the perfect matches quickly, reliably, and with meticulous attention to detail. A talent finder and bridge builder between clients and freelancers. Especially in times when remote working is becoming the norm, companies are free to find the best talent for their needs at short notice and from anywhere. This allows them to involve specialists who meaningfully complement the project team, instead of searching for the "jack-of-all-trades" in a permanent position, in addition to the diverse perspectives that diversity brings. The world of work has embarked on a journey of decisive change, one that goes beyond mere home office tools: A structural, value-based, and systemic transformation is still to come, in which freelancers will play a crucial role as external service providers.
Sabine Fäth, founder of SCRIBERS[HUB]
