CONET at the 24th Public Transport Symposium NRW – Review and RoomBook

CONET was again represented at the public transport symposium NRW this year. After two online years, the event took place again this year as a face-to-face event in the Congress Center Düsseldorf. New Work concepts, the Work & Experience W(EX) process model and the RoomBook app from CONET met with great interest.

As in previous years, the Public Transport Symposium NRW was under the patronage of the CIO of the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, Professor Dr. Andreas Meyer-Falcke.

Under the motto “Digital. Normal – Insights into the digital everyday life of the authorities”, more than 700 participants from the state and local administration of North Rhine-Westphalia discussed all facets of the digital transformation. CONET was represented with its own technical contribution and a large stand in the accompanying exhibition. The stand team was pleased about the great interest shown by the specialist audience. A particular highlight was the lecture by Tobias Borlinghaus and Miriam Schumacher entitled: “Work wherever you want! How digitization is changing the world of work in the long term”. Both CONET experts gave the large specialist audience an exciting insight into the practice of New Work in public administration.

New Work – also a topic for public administration!

New Work does not only mean home office, cross-hierarchy first-name terms or flexible working hours. Rather, New Work is a comprehensive change process that redefines work. The aim is to offer all employees at all hierarchical levels a working environment in which people feel comfortable, can develop their talents and interact well socially and communicate. The goal is a change in consciousness.

This mind change was massively promoted by the Corona crisis. In public administration, too, traditional ways of thinking had to be abandoned, processes redesigned and responsibility redefined. A methodically reflected, step-by-step and participatory approach is essential so that a high level of job satisfaction and a culture in which people’s skills and talents can develop well.

Work & Experience W(EX) – the process model

The Work & Experience W(EX) process model developed by CONET ensures that the goals of a New Work project are transparent, that all stakeholders are involved and that all fields of action are taken into account. In this way, all potentials for motivation, creativity and job satisfaction can develop for managers and employees.

It is important that concepts from the private sector cannot be transferred 1:1 to the public sector. CONET therefore offers comprehensive advice for this customer group, which takes into account the special legal, organizational and technical framework conditions of public administration. In “W(EX)” all relevant fields of action are taken into account in accordance with the law and regulations, from information security to occupational safety, information culture and information processes to the design of the office world.

New work made easy – get started with the RoomBook app

The RoomBook app developed by CONET, which allows a workspace to be booked on mobile devices, attracted particular interest. When choosing the workplace, all the parameters requested by the customer can be taken into account:

• What workplace equipment is required?
• Is car parking required?
• Are special team or meeting rooms required?
• Does someone need information about where I will be seated when I book my workplace?

The RoomBook app offers a wide range of options so that it increases the acceptance of all those involved when returning to the office after the pandemic and it is easy and quick to start the discussion about New Work.

A room temperature of 18 degrees in public buildings or the obligation to work from home – there is a better way!

In view of the approaching winter with the current energy saving requirements, the RoomBook app also offers a wide range of options to support the necessary savings without burdening the employees. Many offices are still heated for free. Even if the room temperature is generally reduced, a workplace cooled down to 18 degrees is not a solution when many offices are empty and nobody knows whether they will be needed on a certain day.

The planned and, thanks to the RoomBook app, transparent spatial merging of workplaces without restrictions for the employees offers significant savings potential. Then only so many floors have to be supplied with energy (electricity, heating) so that the employees have exactly the jobs they need at a certain point in time. Connecting the RoomBook app to the building’s energy supply technology also opens up significant savings opportunities.

Solve two central questions at the same time with the RoomBook app

The CONET RoomBook app facilitates the implementation of a clean desk concept and the return to office. It also supports the saving of large amounts of energy that is not required. In addition to the cost factor, the energy saving of public administration is a role model for civil society.

The app is available in various system environments, the CONET experts are happy to share their project experiences from other authorities with interested parties. In view of the rising energy costs, the use of the app pays off independently of the other aspects of a working environment suitable for New Work.