CONTEXT Given the growth that SMEs are encouraged to follow and strong public policy on the importance of digital technology, it is not surprising that business leaders are generally pro-technology. However, growing scientific evidence shows that unconstrained use of digital devices can have negative consequences for businesses in terms of productivity/performance and employees’ mental and physical health. Multitasking and the constant stream of notifications are associated with lower levels of creativity and concentration, and higher stress, while the google effect causes decreased memory efficiency. Collectively called “technostress” these issues are caused both by the technology AND by organisational expectations. The “always on” culture of checking emails at home or on holiday leads to worsened emotional states, poor work-life balance and burnout. Many large corporations are already addressing digital overload, via wellbeing policies within their HR/CSR work. In a 2018 study of 500 senior HR executives from global organisations, 70% stated that policies to promote digital wellbeing were important. A similar study, though, found that 82% of SME employers do NOT have any digital health or wellbeing policies nor plans to introduce them. Moreover, our own research showed the issue is so new that no enterprise development or business training providers currently offers structured guidance on the topic: they too are unaware and unequipped. OBJECTIVE Therefore, the objective of our project is to design, develop and implement a new approach to train European SME managers in employee digital wellbeing. In doing so we meet the needs of the following target groups: PARTICIPANTS & ACTIVITIES SME MANAGERS. Numbering hundreds of thousands in each of our countries, they need greater awareness and knowledge of this challenge and to develop the digital and entrepreneurial skills to lead change in company policy and practice. ENTREPRENEURSHIP (BUSINESS) EDUCATION PROVIDERS. They are a trusted source of training for SME managers and have ample access/geographic coverage to mainstream it, but they need knowledge of the subject matter AND suitable teaching resources. EDUCATION AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STAKEHOLDERS. As policy makers and funders of subsidised training for SMEs they need greater understanding of the relevance of this topic, so as to be able to focus and design greater support for digital wellbeing competences. -SME EMPLOYEES are indirect participants and beneficiaries: thanks to the introduction of improved digital wellbeing policies and practices, they will be encouraged to strengthen their own competences regarding a balanced use of digital technology and digital self-care. RESULTS We will produce two Outputs and the following results O1: Digital Wellbeing Pathway Creator. An interactive online tool enabling SME managers to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in relation to employee digital wellbeing and to determine a suitable pathway through the subsequent learning materials (O2). 36 Business Advisors will help us test the Pathway Creator with 120 SME managers. A further 300 Advisors and SMEs will use the Pathway Creator during the project lifespan. O2: Digital Crossroads Training Programme. A complete set of learning objectives, training materials and case studies providing SME Managers and business advisors to gain the knowledge, skills and self-belief required to implement an in-company programme to prevent employee digital overload. 16 business advisors will use the Training Programme with 48 SMEs (4 each) during the project. A further 240 individuals, mostly business advisors but also stakeholders and SME managers, will download and use all or part of the OERs during the project lifespan. IMPACT We’ve designed Digital Crossroads carefully to ensure our final goal: enabling SME managers to improve the digital wellbeing of their employees. LOCAL IMPACT Since the majority of SMEs and entrepreneurs access training and support from entrepreneurship VET providers close to home, the impact will first be felt on a LOCAL level: more businesses leaders will have the digital and entrepreneurial competences to lead change in their companies, having a positive knock on effect on employee wellbeing and productivity. Over the medium term, these benefits will become evident as improved growth and employment in the local economy. REGIONAL AND NATIONAL IMPACT At regional and national level, the project will demonstrate the need to broaden our approach to digital skills’ competences in the SME and entrepreneurship education sectors, in line with Frameworks such as DigComp and the JISC approach. EUROPEAN IMPACT At European level, the main contribution of the project will be to highlight the work that still is required to translate Dig Comp (and to an extent DigCompOrg) into SME training and entrepreneurship education, and to provide scalable response as to how to achieve this.
The objective is to design, develop and implement a new approach to train European SME managers in employee digital wellbeing. The project delivered the proposed intellectual outputs and met the objectives. IO1: Digital Wellbeing Pathway Creator (EUEI), an interactive online tool to enable SME managers to evaluate their organization's level of preparedness on employee digital well-being and to learn about the areas of shortcomings through learning materials (IO2). EUEI created an online tool to help SME managers evaluate their strengths & weaknesses. The tool was tested by 105 users and the feedback was used to modify the pathway creator tool. - IO2: Digital Wellbeing training programme (Momentum). The training programme was developed as Online Educational Resources (OERs) with four modules. Each partner developed one module respectively. User testing was conducted among 86 users and the feedback was used to further refine the modules. The consortium also utilized unused budget from the TPMsby enhancing the IO2 with an online version of the modules in addition to the OERs. The outputs are in German language as well. The consortium achieved closer cooperation with each other and established stronger ties with the target users.
The project was initiated to address the importance of digital wellbeing among the managers at Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). Techno stress is a common term among the employees. As a result, the managers are finding it difficult to cope up with the challenges faced by their teammates due to digital overload. SMEs are encouraged to implement digital technology at workplace. Business leaders are generally adaptive to implementation of technology at workplace. However, unconstrained use of digital devices has negative consequences for businesses in terms of productivity/performance and employees’ mental and physical health. For individuals it results in reduced creativity, concentration, memory, emotional & work-life balance, higher stress and faster burnout. Given this background, EMG with its project partners has addressed the importance of digital wellbeing among employees through this project and given multiple solutions. The consortium addressed the need to a) generating awareness among managers about the level of digital stress & the level of preparedness in their respective organizations, and b) educating them on how to overcome such stress through online educational modules that are freely accessible.