Decide on the rules yourself: corporations continue to rely on the home office

Make your own decisions about the rules
Corporations continue to rely on the home office

Companies now decide for themselves how to protect their employees from Corona. Many companies want to keep tests and masks compulsory. When it comes to the workplace, hybrid models are the future.

From Sunday onwards, employers decide which corona protection measures apply in their companies. The obligation to work from home is expiring, you will then have to assess the risk of the virus yourself and adapt your hygiene concept accordingly. A corresponding cabinet decision mentions measures such as weekly tests and avoiding contacts by working from home – employers must check “as part of the risk assessment” what makes sense from their point of view.

The new Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance therefore means fewer fixed rules and more personal responsibility. Works councils, if they exist in the company, have a right of co-determination in the risk assessment and the hygiene concept. Because according to the Works Constitution Act, the works council has to have a say in regulations on health protection if the statutory provisions specify a framework that needs to be shaped, the Federal Ministry of Labor announced. That is the case here.

As a survey by the German Press Agency showed, many large companies want to keep free tests and masks for their employees. Deutsche Telekom, for example, continues to use masks and wants to offer employees two corona tests a week. The company said it was planning to return to the office more often. “But it is also clear that there will be no going back to the old status quo. Mobile working has its advantages and is here to stay,” it said.

Switching between office and home office

Commerzbank is taking a slightly different course. “In principle, employees at Commerzbank can work up to 50 percent of their working hours from home, provided this is compatible with their job,” said the bank. In view of the corona situation, employees are likely to continue to work mainly from home in the coming weeks.

The pharmaceutical and crop protection group Bayer is also aiming for a hybrid model of home office and face-to-face work. “In the current situation with increasing numbers of infections, but also exorbitant increases in fuel prices as a result of the war in Ukraine, it makes sense for everyone involved to continue to work mainly from home for the time being,” said Bayer.

Allianz allows up to 50 percent of the workforce to return to the office. The principle of voluntariness applies, according to the Dax group. According to the company, around 80 percent of the employees had recently worked from home. The car rental company Sixt also relies on a 50/50 rule. A spokeswoman explained that the company relies on the freedom of decision of the employees and will not control who works how much from home or in the office.

At Siemens, the recommendation to work in the home office remains, said a spokesman. A 100% return to the office is not the goal. After the pandemic, employees would basically have the opportunity to work remotely two to three days a week. At Deutsche Post, working on site is mostly required according to the group. Administrative staff have been able to work from home for years. “The experiences from the corona pandemic have encouraged Deutsche Post DHL Group that hybrid working models, which include working in the office as well as from home, will become even more relevant in the future,” explained a spokeswoman.

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