Frankfurt After a long struggle, Deutsche Bank and its general works council agreed on rules for working from home. The regulation basically enables all Deutsche Bank AG employees to work from home for up to 40 percent of their working hours – usually one or two days a week. This emerges from internal documents that are available to the Handelsblatt.
If the next higher supervisor agrees, employees can even work outside the office for up to three days a week. Anyone who works on the move receives a laptop, a mouse and a headset as basic equipment free of charge from Deutsche Bank. The necessary devices are to be made available by the end of 2022 if the employees have not yet received them.
Employees who undertake to work on the move at least two days a week on days specified in advance receive a flat-rate fee of EUR 1,000 gross, which is payable every five years. Those who work at home less often, on the other hand, are not entitled to this allowance.
The corona pandemic has also made mobile working socially acceptable on a broad front at banks. In many financial institutions, this has triggered a debate about how flexible work should be done after the pandemic – and whether the banks should pay employees an expense allowance in addition to the technical equipment.
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Even in times of a pandemic, there were big differences from bank to bank. This trend is likely to continue. With a flat-rate allowance every five years, the Deutsche Bank agreement is on par with the German ING, which pays the same amount.
That is considered to be comparatively generous in the industry. Some banks had transferred between 500 and 1500 euros to their employees, but only as a one-off payment. And a Dax survey by Handelsblatt in June showed that Allianz alone paid its employees a home office allowance in the form of a one-off payment of up to EUR 300 gross among all the companies listed in the leading index. In addition, there was 150 euros in support for the purchase of an ergonomic office chair.
Not all Deutschbankers are affected
“With this general works agreement, we have finally reached a regulation that will enable the colleagues in the participating companies to be able to work mobile under reasonable and fair framework conditions,” said the chairman of the general works council of Deutsche Bank, Frank Schulze, of the Handelsblatt. “We are more than satisfied with this result.”
A spokeswoman for the bank said: “Over the past few months, we have worked with the general works council to develop the framework for a hybrid working model. This offers our employees both flexibility and a reliable framework. ”According to the spokeswoman,“ we want to set the course for the time after Corona, so that we can offer as much planning security as possible ”.
Nonetheless, not all Deutschbankers are covered by the works agreement: “Basically, the bank wants to enable all employees to work on the move. There are areas that cannot participate for regulatory reasons and due to the nature of the activity, for example in the retail and service area of the branches, ”explained a spokeswoman.
There are further restrictions: Works agreements only apply to non-managerial employees. That means top earners, who are typically senior executives, don’t benefit.
Individual companies could be excluded
In addition, according to reports, there are individual Deutsche Bank operations that have not signed up to the agreement made by the general works council. A spokeswoman said: “The regulations initially only apply to employees in the Deutsche Bank AG companies whose works councils have instructed the general works council to conclude the works agreement. However, we are holding constructive discussions with the other works councils. “
Since the general works council only for the Deutsche Bank AG is however not responsible for the daughters of the bank. That is why the service union criticizes Verdi. “We think it is a problem that this agreement was made at the level of the general works council and not at the level of the group works council, because many employees, such as the service companies, are excluded from it,” said union secretary Kevin Voss. Verdi therefore calls for local agreements, a collective bargaining agreement or a group works agreement.
Collaboration: Lazar Backovic
More: Up to 300 euros: This is how the DAX companies support the home office of their employees