OREANDA-NEWS. Bosch has introduced a consistent set of rules that simplify telecommuting. It is also allowing its associates to manage personal e-mails,

surf the web, and make private phone calls at the workplace. The supplier of technology and services is aiming to continue its move away from a culture of physical presence to a more flexible one that focuses on results. At the same time, this move helps Bosch achieve a better balance between work and private life. Together with the combined works council, two new combined works agreements have been drawn up that will apply to Bosch associates in Germany. Bosch recently put in place guidelines for a flexible, family-friendly working culture.

Culture change for more freedom and creativity

"The reason we want to drive this change in our working culture forward is that we are convinced that flexible working models are beneficial," says Christoph Kübel, member of the board of management and director of industrial relations at Robert Bosch GmbH. "Giving associates the choice of where and when to work increases job satisfaction, delivers better results, and strengthens creativity." Kübel adds that this is why Bosch wants to make telecommuting the norm.

Simplifying flexible working

Telecommuting is already an option at Bosch. But new, simpler rules for associates and executives are set to make it even easier to choose where and when to work. Until now, associates had to get their supervisor's individual approval before they could work temporarily at another location or from home. Now associates have the fundamental right to do so, provided this is compatible with their job. In manufacturing operations as well, management is working to introduce flexible solutions, including shift arrangements that are compatible with part-time working and systems that allow associates to stand in for one another. "We hope that flexible shift systems will benefit the company and its associates to an equal degree, serving the business interests of the one while allowing the others to reconcile the demands of family and working life," says Alfred Löckle, the chairman of the combined works council.

Personal e-mails, phone calls, and web access at the workplace

From now on, anyone at Bosch who wants to surf the web or use internet banking during their lunch break, say, will be able to use their Bosch company PC to do so. Associates may also use their company e-mail address or company phone to conduct personal business. In a world where work and personal life are connected, Bosch wants to make its associates' everyday work easier. "I have a smartphone of my own," says Arne Brixel, a production planner at the Bosch plant in Stuttgart-Feuerbach, "but it's definitely more convenient to use my work laptop to book a train ticket or quickly pay a bill."

Guiding principle - a better balance between work and private life

Bosch already offers its associates around 100 working models, including various part-time options, job sharing, and working from home. "That's why we have also made sure the rules make a clear distinction between work and private life," Löckle says. "Every associate can define break times and set time periods in which they do not wish to be disturbed." Guidelines for associates and for executives will help them both to make use of the advantages of telecommuting and to overcome their reservations. Löckle feels executives have a particular responsibility in this regard: some bosses also have to learn to let go, and to accept that mere physical presence should not be confused with hard work.

More focus on results, less physical presence

The consistent rules for telecommuting give associates clarity on issues relating to logging their working hours, insurance coverage, and information security. In accordance with employment law and collective-bargaining arrangements, hours worked while telecommuting will be logged as normal. It will even be possible to make up for free time taken during the week by catching up with work on a Saturday. Bosch sees its clear commitment to telecommuting as an important step toward achieving a better balance between work and private life. "Many of the associates in my team can work just as well from home or from the office using a laptop and a cellphone," says Anne Cater, a department head at the Bosch Thermotechnology division's Lollar location. "Our Bosch Connect social business network also makes it easier for associates to work together no matter where and what time of day they are working."