German auto parts manufacturer Continental has just launched mobile working within the company for 90% of its 200,000 employees from all hierarchy levels working across twenty-one countries. This mobile working offer goes much further than offers recently made by Bosch and Volkswagen because it is a global offer and sets no working time limits. Initially negotiated with the German central works council and discussed with the EWC, this company working time offer agreement, proposes an extremely flexible framework of application that will be negotiated between national social partners and central management teams on a country by country basis. With a view to delving deeper into the details of this working time offer, Planet Labor interviewed Mr. Dirk Siebels, Labor Relations Department VP at Continental tasked with the global implementation this agreement by April 2017.
At the heart of Continental’s offer on mobile working. The basic offer by Continental to its employees comprises three main elements. The first tackles mobile working where every employee has the right to opt to work outside the office, be it at home or elsewhere, and within the framework of the agreement that will have been negotiated between the social partners at national subsidiary level. This basic offer does not include any ceiling for mobile working, nor does it include time frames within which employees must be at the office.
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