Siemens to 140,000 employees: Where do you want to work?

Work from home? Not quite, as Germany’s Siemens has announced a new working model that allows more than 140,000 employees in more than 125 locations across 43 countries the option to work from wherever they want for two or three days a week.

Based on a global staff survey in which employees desired greater flexibility in their approach to work, the decision was also hailed by Roland Busch, deputy chief and labour director of Siemens. In a Tweet, he explained that the COVID-19 pandemic “gives us a chance to reshape our world and reimagine work” and will “empower Siemens employees to perform at their best.”

Siemen’s mobile working model encourages employees, in consultation with their supervisors, to choose the work locations where they feel they can be most productive.

This, said the company, creates a hybrid working model that specifically includes working environments such as co-working spaces. In this scenario, returning to the workplace will be considered as a supplement to mobile working.

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Busch added, “The coronavirus crisis has triggered a surge in digitalisation. We’ve always had mobile working at Siemens, but now we’re taking it a step further. The basis for this forward-looking working model is further development of our corporate culture.

“These changes will also be associated with a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes rather than on time spent at the office.”

Siemen’s mobile working approach will be tailored to local legal requirements, the demands of various job profiles, and individual preference, the company emphasised.

A centralised IT system will provide supervisors and employees with all relevant information regarding the new work model, and specific training sessions for supervisors who will support the model’s launch.