Germany Drafts Law To Allow People To Work From Home

With the global pandemic well underway, it has given us a glimpse of what working from home is like. While some people still prefer commuting to an office, others have realized that the work from home model suits them even better. And in Germany especially.

Even before the pandemic hit, 40% of people in Germany wanted to work from home for at least part of the time. Fortunately, now, the country’s minister of labour, Hubertus Heil, has drafted a new law stating that employees in Germany should be able to work from a location of choice more easily. 

This means that if an employee prefers to work from home, they should be given the right to discuss this with their employers. If employees reject their applications, they have to give reasons for doing so in writing. In the case of an employer not complying with his obligation to discuss this, mobile work should be considered fixed for a maximum of 6 months.

This is not the first time Heil is trying to pass a work from home law. Back in October, he drafted a law stating the employees in Germany should be able to work remotely for 24 days a year if there were no operational reasons against it. 

All in all, this is a pretty good idea, considering that Germans were interested in the idea to work from home even before the pandemic. Not to mention, employers could save money from employees who work remotely. Of course, there are still concerns about productivity and that this may encourage companies to outsource workers abroad who may be cheaper. Either way, there will always be both pros and cons in a situation like this. While nothing is final yet, we’ll just have to wait and see if the law passes.