How has the role of the employee evolved?

Expectations of individual employees have changed significantly over time.

Individual employees are given more and more responsibility and are expected to be solution-oriented, able to make decisions and manage their own projects. In short: a more independent employee. Some decisions previously taken by managers must now also be possible for employees to take. With this change, the role of the manager has also changed, and with it, the needs of the individual employee.

Is this the end of the traditional manager?

The change has been massive, and managers need to be flexible, open and build personal relationships with their employees. The traditional hierarchical approach is being replaced by a communicative, energetic and inclusive one. It should be easy to show personal connection and emotion to employees who have become more independent. In this way, employees will trust both you as a manager and the company. During the coronavirus pandemic, we even saw how employees had to step up when the organisation had to work digitally and remotely from one day to the next. Employees often had to plan and carry out tasks and communicate decisions to management. With self-management, employees' flexibility and freedom to prioritise tasks have been a strong motivator, as they will always be willing to go the extra mile to get things done. The traditional manager faces a massive change, as employees suddenly expect a more transparent leader, one for whom it is fine to show vulnerability, and who does not always have a clear answer to every question. Working on these qualities makes you an authentic leader, and there is a good chance that your employees will identify with your goals and be not just employees, but followers!

Understand the person

At Summ, we have always worked on the principle of "people before machines". Even as digitalisation and new methods have arrived, they do not change what matters most to our employees or the leadership approach we apply every day. For us, it is always about being able to put ourselves in our employees' shoes: understanding and developing them, so that through a natural process they strengthen their desire and motivation to develop and improve. We have short and long conversations with our employees every day, both the very difficult personal ones and the work-related ones. This is a big part of Summ's culture: our employees know the journey, know the goal and are motivated to fight for it. All of this is built on our DNA: More Than Numbers!