Jump to
In many companies, everything currently revolves around working from home, desk sharing and flexible office environments. However, for teams in production, logistics, skilled trades or engineering – in other words, industrial employees – the reality is often different. These employees cannot do their work from their sofa or from a café. And yet they are rarely seen strategically and systematically as part of the workforce relevant to employer branding.
While working from home and flexible working hours have become the norm in the office, the reality in the industrial sector is often different. Shift work, early and late shifts, compulsory attendance – here, work cannot simply be transferred digitally to the home.
For HR managers, this is not a marginal issue – it is a key task. After all, skilled workers are in short supply, staff turnover is high and motivation is not a given.
When commercial employees feel that their work matters, their commitment and loyalty are significantly higher.
Solution: Redefine appreciation
But what does appreciation actually mean in this context? When employees are on site every day, doing physical work and keeping processes running, respect must be visible – not just felt. The good news is that digital HR tools can help to show genuine appreciation in everyday life – and not just with kind words.
Digital tools as a sign of respect
Appreciation starts with the basics: transparent time tracking, fair shift planning and simple communication.
Employees who can track their hours and know when and why they are scheduled feel that they are being taken seriously. So it’s not just about efficiency, but also about fairness.
A digital time tracking system builds trust – because no one feels like they are being ‘written down’, but because working hours are traceable, accurate and flexibly adjusted.
Digital duty scheduling also shows that the company takes wishes, availability and real life into account. This is how technology becomes a tool for appreciation.
Communication on equal terms – even without an office
In the workshop or on the warehouse premises, the notice board is often the most important source of information. But notices alone are no longer enough.
Digital platforms or employee apps can improve the flow of information – and thus strengthen the feeling of being part of the whole.
As an HR manager, if you provide shift schedules, news or feedback requests centrally in digital form, you can reach all employees – regardless of whether they are sitting in the office or working in production. This is modern appreciation: everyone is seen, no one is overlooked.
Practical example: More transparency, less frustration
A manufacturing company with 120 employees repeatedly had problems with last-minute shift changes. Notes on the notice board were overlooked, colleagues arrived late – frustration was high.
The company then introduced digital duty scheduling. The result: fewer misunderstandings, more personal responsibility – and a noticeable improvement in teamwork. Many reported that they felt they were ‘finally included’.
Appreciation was demonstrated not through words, but through digital fairness.
Transparency builds trust
Commercial teams often rely on predictable processes, which depend heavily on reliability. As an HR manager, you can take pressure off the system by using digital tools to provide clarity. Admins can enter shifts or holidays and know that their times are recorded correctly.
This not only creates trust, but also self-determination – two of the most important building blocks of genuine employee loyalty.
Small steps, big impact
Appreciation does not mean completely digitising your business overnight. Even small measures can make a difference:
- Digital time tracking instead of paper lists
- Online shift planning with preferred times
- Employee app for information, feedback and recognition
- Automated reminders for training courses or anniversaries
Each of these features shows that you take the people who work hard every day seriously.
Appreciation is a question of attitude – and the right tools
Not everyone wants to go to the office – and nobody has to. What matters is that every job is recognised. If you, as an HR manager, use digital tools in a targeted manner to simplify communication, create transparency and make planning fair, technology becomes a vehicle for genuine appreciation.
Because in the end, it’s not about software – it’s about the feeling that someone has put thought into it. The future of work will not be digital everywhere, but it will be more human – if we use digital solutions to make respect visible.
