Interim CFO Roman talks about the Future of Work

The Future of Work is what we make of it. That’s why we talk to our colleagues on a regular basis. We want to know what their everyday working lives are like, what they expect from the world of work, and how they imagine the working world of tomorrow. As a bonus, we also get very personal insights into the everyday lives of our colleagues. Read all about them and their views on the Future of Work in these interviews. 

Roman is the Interim Chief Financial Officer at Zenjob. He sees positive change happening in the way workplaces are structured. A key aspect in this matter is flexibility. What is his perspective on flexible work and what does he want to see in the future working world?

Who did you want to be, when you grew up? What was your dream job?

This was kind of a fluctuating wish. 🙂 At first I wanted to be a policeman. When I was growing up and began studying, it was car engineer (test driver). Later I was interested in being a teacher. 

What has changed and how did you get to your current position?

During my studies at a technical college I recognized that I really generate much more happiness working with people while using theoretical constructs.

I understood that my real internal driver is to structure and support people as well as systems to maximize their potential. It motivates me to see that people are happier and performing better or that systems are capable of much more than before due to changes I have triggered.

Which aspects do you think need to change in the way we organize and perceive work nowadays?

I think we made huge steps into the right direction within the last year even though it is mainly driven by a catastrophic scenario. The flexibility of your workplace – of course only for white collar jobs.

Indeed the flexibility of the workplace is only one piece of the puzzle but it can really make a big difference.

One example is the importance for parents to be flexible and save time. Our current economic situation shows that we have a huge lack of talents. It is crucial to keep the high performers in the game even if they need more time in their private life. 

In my opinion, we need to overcome the mindset that people need to live close to the office or have to pass by daily. Of course, I still think that especially for people my age or previous generations personal interchange is crucial in creating reliable connections. But I think this might change in the future.

Another important aspect for me is that humans should not be forced to do jobs they do not really like just to be able to pay their bills. I think we really need a working environment, where all people are able to work, to use the maximum of their own potential as well as gaining the maximum of happiness out of their efforts. Instead of being forced to work in a job they hate or do not care about.

What does flexibility mean to you when you think of your working life? Why is flexibility important?

For me flexibility has three perspectives. Firstly, I want to be flexible about my job in general. I love being free in choosing my jobs and projects and to be able to change the position if I see my work is done.

Secondly, flexibility is the freedom to choose where I do my work. I can work from home, in the garden or even in the car. 

Thirdly, I see within the flexibility of when I do my work. While I have deadlines I need to meet, I am not part of mandatory, daily standard routines. This is important because I really like to work contrary to common working times. 🙂

You are currently working as an Interim CFO at Zenjob. What does this mean and why do you think this way of organizing your working world is a good fit for you?

As I stated before, I love to be flexible. Building and leading teams as well as improving processes and structures is one of my talents. I always try to create a positive environment and momentum in changing. Just „housekeeping“ a certain setup is something I am not good at. I get bored pretty quickly by doing only routines. Even worse for me is when I detect a problem and I am unable to solve it due to internal „political blockers“ which can be found regularly within old fashioned or huge companies. That is the main reason why I love working at dynamic and fast moving companies like Zenjob.

Interesting, right? You might also want to read about Sandra’s point of view on the Future of Work.