Disputes between management and workers at Deutsche Bank after increasing mandatory office attendance

The decision of its managing director has caused intense internal disagreement between employees and management Deutsche Bank Christian Zeving to increase the days of mandatory presence in the office, significantly reducing it telecommuting.

According to the relevant directive, from June the managers should be in their offices at least four days a week and all others at least three. The management's goal is to “greater interaction between employees”, the decision however meets, according to Handelsblatt, strong reactions from the staff. Characteristically, more than 1,000 critical messages have been posted on the company's internal network, while at least 1,300 of the 10,000 employees who will be affected have already protested officially. According to the newspaper, an internal memo by Christian Zeving and the bank's organizational director Rebecca Short states that “there was a wave of reactions in our internal network, most of which were negative.”

The return to the office is not going smoothly, moreover, because the company, taking advantage of the employees' preference for telecommuting, has significantly reduced its office space, with the result that many complain that it is no longer easy to find a seat when they go to the office. “In this context, we will of course review whether the situation at the individual sites allows for more office use. Where necessary, we will adapt the facilities accordingly,” the same internal memo says, Handelsblatt reports, noting that until now regulations allowed up to 40% work from home and in consultation with superiors up to 60%. Now the leadership of Deutsche Bank is talking about the need for “more consistency” and a “uniform approach”, while also pointing out that other companies have already tightened the corresponding regulations. Among the companies that brought workers back to the office are Volkswagen, Telekom and SAP.