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Deutsche Bank boss Christian Sewing: Headwind on the intranet

Photo: POOL / REUTERS

Deutsche Bank wants to require employees to work more in the office again.

From June onwards, managers should be present at least four days per week, and everyone else at least three days per week.

The goal: more interaction among employees.

But the initiative by CEO Christian Sewing and organizational director Rebecca Short is encountering enormous resistance, according to a report in the “Handelsblatt”.

According to the newspaper, more than 10,000 employees would be affected by the new regulations, and more than 1,300 of them are said to have complained about the strict requirements on the bank's intranet, citing insiders.

“There was a wave of reactions on our intranet, most of which were critical,” the newspaper quotes from an internal memo from CEO Sewing and organizational leader Short.

Apparently the return to the office isn't going smoothly for all employees.

The bank has apparently also taken advantage of the workforce's willingness to work from home to reduce its office space.

According to the report, bank employees are now complaining that it is sometimes difficult to get a place in the office.

“In this context, of course, we will also take another look at whether the situation at the individual locations allows for greater office use,” says the memo to the workforce.

“Where necessary, we will adapt the workplace facilities accordingly.”

According to the report, the company agreements already generally provide for a home office limit of 40 percent - but in consultation with superiors, an upper limit of 60 percent is also possible.

This opening clause was apparently used diligently.

Now Sewing and Short are insisting on more “consistency” and a “uniform approach” – and also point to other companies that have tightened their attendance rules.

In fact, Deutsche Bank is not the only large corporation to impose stricter home office rules on its employees.

The car manufacturer Volkswagen, Telekom and the software company SAP are also relying on more presence in the office.

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