Corporate News

Work in the post-pandemic "New Normal" – HDI Group details arrangements for mobile working and back to the office

  • Up to 60 percent mobile working possible
  • Offices reconfigured as "dynamic spaces" for enhanced collaboration

In consultation with the Group Employee Council, the HDI Group has established binding rules for work in the New Normal. The wide-ranging and flexible new work models will apply after the end of the pandemic. The primary focus here is on arrangements governing the organisation of mobile working, technical equipment, the future office landscape and health concerns.

dynamic-space-hilden-office

Employees of the HDI Group in Germany will in future be free to decide whether they wish to work remotely. In consultation with the employee's manager, this will be possible on up to 60 percent of working days in a calendar quarter. Furthermore, the technology used will be transitioned entirely to notebooks. By means of so-called "dynamic spaces", the HDI Group will create attractive spaces for collaborative working. The desk sharing principle, under which employees use a different workspace from day to day, will be adopted. Hybrid collaboration will be supported with meeting spaces using state-of-the-art meeting technology. The departments play an active part in deciding how spaces are configured. The pilot location for dynamic spaces is Hilden.

A regular dialogue between staff and managers is key to preventing the risk of borders between professional and personal life becoming blurred. Managers will receive regular training with this in mind; all members of staff will also be able to access a broad range of further training opportunities promoting mindfulness in the new world of work.

"With this total package we have together arrived at a very good answer to our work in the post-pandemic New Normal. Looking ahead to the period after the exceptional situation caused by the pandemic, it was important for us to harmonise the needs of our customers and our employees as flexibly as possible. We have achieved this goal very successfully with this model", comments Torsten Leue, Chief Executive Officer of the Talanx Group. "Hybrid working, collaboration, transparency and engagement will consistently shape our collaboration and our culture", adds Leue.

Jens Warkentin, Personnel Director for the HDI Group in Germany, emphasises: "For the HDI Group, it is important that we are also able to work collaboratively on creative and effective solutions in the office. As an attractive employer, we want to keep our employees together as a community going forward. Teams should continue to be real teams that enjoy working together and have fun doing it. That’s why employees and managers are jointly working out a flexible approach to striking an ideal balance between office times and mobile working within the framework of the model."

The Chairman of the Group Works Council, Ralf Rieger, says: "The current agreements represent a well-balanced compromise because they reconcile two opposing starting positions as the outcome of some tough negotiations. On the one hand, there are the colleagues wanting flexibility, self-determination for the place of work and the best possible equipment. On the other hand, you have the employer with the requirement to maintain control over planning and management, and concerns about additional costs."


Disclaimer

This news release contains forward-looking statements which are based on certain assumptions, expectations and opinions of the Talanx AG management. These statements are, therefore, subject to certain known or unknown risks and uncertainties. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond Talanx AG’s control, affect Talanx AG’s business activities, business strategy, results, performance and achievements. Should one or more of these factors or risks or uncertainties materialise, actual results, performance or achievements of Talanx AG may vary materially from those expressed or implied in the relevant forward-looking statement. Talanx AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does Talanx AG accept any responsibility for the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. Talanx AG neither intends, nor assumes any obligation, to update or revise these forward-looking statements in light of developments which differ from those anticipated.