Economy & Business, Volume 16, 2022

Abstract: At the end of the 2010s, many companies were confronted with the need to implement elements of New Work. This was either because the business model required new ways of working, or because employees required different approaches to leadership and collaboration. For a long time, however, German medium-sized companies were rather critical of these ideas, as they were subjecting a world that had been successful for decades due to its traditional and stable way of working to major changes. In addition to the pressure from the market and employees, however, coping with the Covid pandemic has put additional pressure on companies to implement New Work elements. But not all companies, both management and employees, have implemented these methods immediately and continued as soon as the need was identified. This article deals with the factors that support or hinder the introduction of New Work in German SMEs. Using the example of supporting six different companies in the period from 2019 to 2022, some relevant factors are identified and reflected. In addition, the influence of the pandemic measures themselves on the implementation of New Work in these companies is described, as well as the influence of social instabilities resulting from the economic consequences of the pandemic or the recent political problems in Europe.