Is the “trust-based working time” system a good thing for employees, allowing for greater work-life balance, or is it a bad thing, leading to unchecked work overload, or both at the same time? An ongoing conflict at Microsoft Deutschland, the German subsidiary of the American computing giant, is the perfect example of this complicated debate. According to the Spiegel online (November 12), Microsoft intends to shut 3 sites down soon, in Hamburg, Bad Homburg and Böblingen, for a total of 500 employees. They will keep working for the company but from home (telework). A lot of employees say that, in doing this, Microsoft is trying to get rid of annoying WCs and to avoid working time regulations. Indeed, employees who work from home usually work 50-60 hours a week to complete their assignments. The management completely denies these accusations. (Ref. 130698)
Trust-based work culture. At Microsoft Deutschland, which employs about 2,700 people in Germany, trust is presented like one of the company’s fundamental values. “At Microsoft, values such as trust and openness aren’t just words; they are daily experiences,” declared Brigitte Hirl-Höfer, Microsoft personnel director, adding that flexible working time and the principle of “trust-based working time” allowed employees to better reconcile work and family life while having freedom in the way they
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