For some time now, many transport and logistics companies have been increasingly digitizing processes in order to achieve advantages through a lower cost structure and thus consolidate or expand their competitive position. However, smart business leaders in industry, trade and logistics have recognized that they cannot digitize every business model and not all processes. The human factor remains the central focus, especially in the service sector. Companies in this sector are particularly successful when they employ motivated staff.

The human factor remains important
Digitalization is already experiencing its limits today. For example, experts at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agree that there will be no fully automated global container shipping. According to the IMO, fully automated container shipping would cause greater risks and would not be outweighed by the avoidance of human error. This view is also held by the experts of the Comité Maritime International (CIM), who are also looking into the possibilities of digitalization in international shipping.

Confined spaces on ships show very clearly how important interpersonal relationships are in the workplace. The sailor, unlike his office colleague, is not in a position to leave the ship prematurely if his colleagues or his supervisor have a bad day. Ultimately, it is very important for the success of the company that the crew is happy, whether they are working on board or ashore.

The goal of company management to ensure that employees feel comfortable in order to retain motivated employees in their own ranks sounds obvious and is nothing new. However, it is crucial for competitiveness that many companies focus more on their employees. Managers who neglect their employees are neglecting the company's goals. This is because employees who are not valued by the manager will do their job by the book in the medium to long term, according to the firm conviction of renowned Viennese psychologist Dr. Ottmar Hill, who works as a personnel and management consultant.

Collegial means fair
Unmotivated employees do less and make more mistakes. As a result, companies in all sectors incur billions in additional costs every year, many of which they can avoid. Smart managers therefore focus in particular on employee appreciation and recognition as well as collegiality. Among other things, collegiality is about giving employees confidence in their competence and performance. Competence is about the question of what the employee can achieve and performance is about what results the employee achieves for the company in industry, trade or logistics for their employer at the end of the day. An employee who is repeatedly treated in an uncollegial manner by the manager does not call on all of his or her skills. A large part of their motivation and performance remains unused. Uncooperative employee behavior wastes energy, wears employees down and places a heavy mental burden on many employees. They lose the desire to perform at their best at work and stay away from the workplace more often. The above makes it clear that it is a key task for every captain to ensure a collegial working environment - for example in the confined space of a container ship.

In practice, things often get down to business. That's why collegiality doesn't mean approaching employees with kid gloves as a manager. According to Hill, collegiality has nothing to do with being "nice and sweet". Collegiality is about fair behavior towards employees. What this means could be summarized with the following wisdom: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Collegial employee behavior means being able to rule out deliberately unsettling, hurting or attacking other employees over trivial matters.

However, companies that only proclaim good treatment of their employees in their ethics policy, but do not actually practice it, suffer a recruitment problem even in the age of digitalization. According to Dr. Hill's experience, if word of uncollegial behaviour within a company spreads throughout the industry, recruitment can prove to be "almost impossible". Without recognition, employees are less willing to give their best for their employer. In addition, employees feel more motivated to look for a new home base. According to the results of a recent Gallup Engagement Index (GEI) survey, employees in Germany and Austria stated that only one in five were exposed to a management environment that motivated them. This result is alarming and shows how great the need for action is to better motivate employees. According to GEI estimates, a lack of appreciation, which often sooner or later leads to internal resignation, causes companies an annual loss of 105 billion euros. Nevertheless, even these figures do not change much in many companies, as they generally do not have their own loss figures. Many companies do not record such losses, or only partially. For example, only a few logistics companies record and analyze turnover costs, although this would be relatively easy for HR managers to handle. The fact is that every employee needs recognition in order to give their best every day. A single navigational error by a ship's pilot who comes out of his berth unmotivated can trigger significant economic damage for the shipowner, which would also affect the transport customers from industry, trade and logistics economically if cargo damage is caused by the misconduct of a crew member. The situation on the mainland is no different, as expert estimates confirm. The American industrialist Charles M. Schwab put it in a nutshell a long time ago: he said that "recognition and encouragement (...) can awaken the best powers" in a person. The following data shows just how great the hunger for more recognition is in the workforce. Nine out of ten employees in Germany and Austria would like more recognition. This result shows that there is a lack of appreciation for employee performance.

Recognition not by watering can principle
It is relatively easy and inexpensive from the company's point of view to show appreciation to employees, for example by sending them an email to explicitly thank them for the results they have delivered. However, the line manager should not proceed according to the watering can principle. For example: "You are the best team in the company". Such a blanket approach does not motivate individual employees in the long term. As a rule of thumb, the more specific the recognition, the more effective it is. Managers who value their employees rate them positively. Ultimately, an appreciative management style is about an inner attitude. According to Wikipedia's definition, the concept of appreciation is closely linked to "recognition, affection, interest, attention" and "friendliness". These terms are part of the corporate culture that the company's employees practice successfully and therefore work more successfully than companies that do not value their employees.

Small gestures, big impact
Mental coach Antje Heimsoeth shows how easily every manager can put appreciative behavior into practice. "Appreciation starts with a smile on the lips and a thank you on the tongue," says Heimsoeth. According to Antje Heimsoeth, these are "just gestures", but they have a "big impact" and have the potential to create a corporate culture in which all employees "feel comfortable and enjoy working".