As COVID-19 continues to impact our daily lives, some companies are considering breathing permanence into these lifestyle changes.
Deutsche Bank AG, for example, is discussing the idea of allowing employees to work remotely two days a week following the pandemic. This policy has been in the works for months, and it comes in response to staff members preferring to work from home. If Deutsche Bank does move forward with this practice, they won’t expect all employees to abide by this rule.
Until lawmakers finalize remote working laws, Deutsche Bank will have to table this motion. The primary issue legislators are grappling with is enforcing confidentiality in private environments. Due to these regulatory concerns, lawmakers are finding it difficult to find a one-size-fits-all solution. As a result, tweaking and dividing policies to satisfy individual needs is becoming increasingly necessary. Deutsche Bank is excited by the prospect of allowing employees to telecommute permanently, and their CEO has issued some new regulations to streamline the transition.
To offer more flexibility, Deutsche Bank will be increasing the amount of work that staff members can take on from home. In addition to promoting productivity, this updated work model also hopes to decrease real estate costs. Above all else, Deutsche Bank anticipates that these company-wide adjustments will enable them to reach their savings target. Christine Peters, a Deutsche Bank spokeswoman, states that the company is working on a hybrid model that will complement various needs and that they’re already eliminating office space to accommodate a smaller on-site staff.
Though Deutsche Bank is looking forward to the introduction of new telework laws, some legislators warn that they won’t please everyone. According to Jane Schimke, these legislations could “create more bureaucracy,” which German employers are desperately trying to avoid. Meanwhile, Ingo Kramer, the head of the BDA, suggests that these proposals are utter nonsense. In his opinion, implementing these remote work policies will inevitably lead to more outsourcing.
The most commonly held belief is that it should be up to employees to decide when and if they want to work from home. A member of the CDU maintains that working from home isn’t something that the government should be involved in. Instead, it’s a decision that employees and employers should reach together. Given how polarizing this policy is, German corporations like Deutsche Bank are patiently waiting until a unanimous choice is announced.