A digital welcome for
electronics developers

Around 40 engineers, software developers and IT specialists have settled down in front of their laptops. “Welcome!” appears in seven languages on the start screen of their digital meeting. If they had started their work at Volkswagen a few months earlier, they would have gathered in a conference room in Wolfsburg for the welcome. But corona doesn’t allow that to happen. Since April, the new colleagues have been getting to know each other in virtual welcome rounds. The new employees save on travel, avoid health risks, and can still make initial contacts. It is one of the many examples that show how Volkswagen is becoming a more digital, and at the same time, more sustainable company during the pandemic.

Experts are in demand even in times of crisis – that is why the Electronics Development (EE) department brings in around three dozen new experts every quarter. Margit Burkhard and Gian Carlo Brunetti from the “Change & NewWork” team now have plenty of practice in planning and moderating online formats. The welcome meetings always start with a short greeting from the heads of department – then it’s the newcomers’ turn. Everyone has 30 seconds to introduce themselves with five keywords. Many immediately discover similarities and remain in conversation after the meeting. The first handshake is a digital one.

The virtual meetings not only benefit the new employees – they are also more beneficial to the environment. If 40 participants travel to Wolfsburg for a face-to-face meeting, they will cover an estimated 2,000 kilometers by car. CO₂ emissions: around 300 kilograms. With a two-hour online format, the power consumption of the laptops only adds up to a few kilograms. This applies not only to the welcoming events, but also to every day that the new colleagues work from home.

It is not only at their welcome meetings that electronics developers are focusing even more on digital than before the pandemic. A few weeks ago, for example, the new divisional head Axel Heinrich introduced himself in a virtual plenary meeting via webcast: He spoke about his CV and goals, followed by many questions from the employees. Using the “like” button, the participants could vote on which topics they were most interested in. “It was completely transparent. This meant that the suspicion that critical questions were being ignored could not even arise. In a physical meeting, that wouldn’t have worked so well,” reports Brunetti.

Electronics Development has also digitized many other formats. In videos, employees report on their work topics – for example, a developer introduces a new feature in the navigation of the ID.3. “The technology films are very popular with our colleagues – it is not unusual for them to lead to discussions in our EE-Community,” reports Burkhard. In the “EE-Insights”, developers also present their projects: For 12 minutes they talk about their work, the rest of the half-hour is reserved for questions.

Dial-in to every meeting

Participation is important. The “Change & NewWork” team wants to know what keeps their colleagues busy and how the current motivation in the home office is. A recurring feedback remark: The electronics developers miss the lunch break with their colleagues – but not the commute to work. They can effectively complete the majority of their tasks in their home office. Quite a few people appreciate the possibility of organizing their day more flexibly. They prefer the flexibility, to eight hours of work straight.

A large part of the digital solutions will be used by the Electronics Development team beyond the pandemic. Most general meetings with several hundred employees will remain digital. Even the onboarding welcome meetings work so well online that it is hard to imagine life without them. Preparation is easier, participants save travel time and there is less inhibition. Divisional Manager Axel Heinrich has already announced: “In future, there will be a dial-in option at every meeting.” Digital working remains a matter of course even after corona.