How Well Digitized are German Businesses?

The Covid lockdowns have forced companies in Germany to convert work processes in the digital world at a rapid pace. Have they managed to do so successfully? How do employees rate the situation of their employers? And how ready is Germany as a whole for the digital age? Answers are provided by the representative study “Employee Focus Germany – Special Survey Corona Pandemic” by the market research and consulting company 2HMforum. in Mainz.

Germans still rate the digital positioning of their own employers quite well, but the view of Germany as a whole is very bad. A total of 56 percent of employees report satisfaction with the digitalization of their own employer. However, only 32 percent of respondents believe that Germany is ready for a digital future.

Poor marks for public administration

A look at individual sectors shows where the digital transformation is lagging most behind: in public administration and the service sector. In these areas, employees still see plenty of need for action.
Poor marks are given to education as well: Only 13 percent of employees from the “education and teaching” category attest that their employer is very well positioned in terms of digital work processes. “Covid has once again shed light on the gaps in the system. Although the ‘Digitalpakt Schule’ (Digital Pact for Schools) was adopted well before the pandemic to drive the digitization of education, there is still massive pent-up demand here,” analyzes Dr. Frederik Meyer, study director and member of the 2HMforum management board.

Sales and service lag behind

Although German companies are rated quite highly by their employees, a look at the departments reveals where things are really hitting a snag. “Apart from research and development – it is precisely those departments that are largely responsible for the success of the companies, namely sales, customer service, production, that are lagging behind,” analyzes the study director.

1 out of 2 sales employees state that their employer is not well positioned digitally. “But precisely because of the Covid restrictions, sales departments are massively dependent on digital communication with their customers. Only using excellent digital contacts can salespeople currently secure the future of their company,” according to Dr. Frederik Meyer.

On the study’s design:

For the study “Employee Focus Germany – Special Survey Corona Pandemic”, the market research and consulting company 2HMforum. from Mainz surveyed a total of 1,000 employees subject to social insurance contributions in the first half of May 2020. The data was weighted according to gender, age, company size class as well as company sector. The study has been conducted regularly every 1 to 2 years since 2005 and examines the fan behavior of employees and the employee relations quality of German companies according to the renowned Fan-Principle.

Further information on the study “Employee Focus Germany”.