The pandemic led to a reset for workers, with many rethinking the role that employment plays in their lives. Resisting work’s dominance, employees are increasingly demanding greater flexibility from current and future employers. According to a survey by Deloitte, already in 2019 22% of millennials and 19% of Gen Z workers said that they would look to leave employers that didn’t prioritize offering flexible working practices or supporting healthy work/life balance for its people. And companies are responding.
Like Hornbach. To meet employers’ need for flexibility Hornbach Germany launched ‘Arbeitszeit Nach Maß’. This new model comprises five building blocks. Employees can (1) convert holiday allowances or end-of-year bonuses into extra days off, (2) move to part-time temporarily or permanently, (3) convert their annual salary increase into reduced working hours, (4) redistribute their full-time working hours to a four-day workweek and (5) increase their full-time weekly working hours from 37.5 to 42.5 for three, six or nine months.
With competition for talent remaining fierce brands can take their advantage by offering employees radical flexibility in when, how and where to work.