(Archive image): VW brings its managers back to the office. picture alliance / photo library | Michael Gottschalk
Volkswagen is saying goodbye to its previously generous home office regulations.
Instead of just one day a week, executives and managers have been required to come to the office four times a week since November 1st.
This affects several thousand employees at the Wolfsburg, Emden, Osnabrück and Zwickau locations.
The Volkswagen leadership is bringing its managers back to the office. Instead of just one day a week, management employees should come to work four times a week again. Corporate circles announced this on Friday. The changes have been in effect since November 1st at the four production sites in Wolfsburg, Emden, Osnabrück and Zwickau as well as in the development department at the company headquarters. Several thousand employees are affected, including many from middle management.
Volkswagen wants to “optimize” hybrid work
“In order to optimally design hybrid work, it is important to create the right balance between mobile work and work in the office,” said a VW spokeswoman. “Accordingly, Volkswagen continues to offer its employees the opportunity to work remotely if the activity allows it.” She did not provide further details on the scope of the compulsory attendance or the change that has now taken place.
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Previously, VW had a generous home office policy for office employees who were not directly involved in production: only one day of attendance per week was planned. This could also be completed once a month as a four-day block. VW introduced the regulation in March 2022, when the general home office requirement during the pandemic ended. Many external employees took advantage of the regulation to primarily work from their main residence, which is often far away. Some gave up their second home in Wolfsburg.
CEO Oliver Blume and brand boss Thomas Schäfer, who commutes by plane from his main residence in Ireland to Wolfsburg every week, have long been pushing for employees to be on site more often again.
The return to the office is intended to serve VW’s planned efficiency program
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According to company circles, the reason VW is moving away from the generous home office regulation is to ensure product launches and work on the planned efficiency program. This requires a greater on-site presence. The works council is currently negotiating the design of the efficiency program, with which VW wants to save ten billion euros. Results should be available by the end of the year.
The works council said that there would be no change to the current company agreement on mobile work. This already provides for up to four days of attendance per week. “But it was and continues to be the case: no one is generally entitled to a certain number of days of mobile work,” said a spokesman for the committee. The exact design must always be adapted to operational needs. “That’s exactly how it was before, and that’s exactly how it still is now.”
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dpa/people