Siemens onboard the WFH bandwagon

Reuters has reported that Germany’s Siemens is the first large German company to make permanent changes to how their staff will work. This is a new model that will apply to over 140,000 employees at 125 locations across 43 countries, and it is a model that is permanent.

This work-from-home approach is something that notably tech companies like Twitter and Facebook have said they would adopt. There are opinions that this move is due to companies seeking to cut cost, provide convenience to employees, or both.

“The aim is to enable employees worldwide to work on a mobile basis for an average of two or three days a week, whenever reasonable and feasible,” Siemens said in a statement.

“These changes will also be associated with a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes rather than on time spent at the office,” said incoming Chief Executive Roland Busch.

But Reuters said it themselves when they described Siemens as a Munich-based maker of trains to industrial software. The company can allow employees to work wherever they wish for at least 2 days in a week. But the same does not seem to apply to workers in their production plants.

Their website at https://new.siemens.com, had this to say:

“We’re doing everything we can to maintain operations at our production plants as well as our service to continue to support our customers and partners as far as possible. This is particularly important in areas in which, together with customers, we provide products and services for vital infrastructure. As we do this, the health and safety of our employees and our partners are always a top priority. And we are, of course, cooperating closely with the relevant public authorities, works councils and representatives of people with disabilities.

Siemens has established processes for ensuring the continuity of manufacturing operations to the greatest possible extent. To ensure that our employees are protected, we’re working together with our works councils and the representatives of people with disabilities to do everything we can to implement the recommendations made by national and international authorities.”