To boost recruitment, retention and staff morale, employers are increasingly keen to work with staff to come up with flexible working models that better meet their needs.
Employees in Germany can already benefit from a statutory right to work part-time. For other jurisdictions, this legislation – along with the models developed by German employers – offer some examples of how this could be done.
Since 2001, almost every employee in Germany has had the right to work fewer hours than originally agreed in their employment contract.
The Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (TzBfG) stipulates that employers must allow their employees to reduce their working hours where certain conditions are met. Eligible employees must have been employed at the company for six months, and more than 15 people must be employed by that company.
In principle, the employer must agree to the reduction in working hours in accordance with the employee’s wishes unless there are operational reasons preventing this. Operational reasons may include where the reduction in working hours would significantly impact the organisation, workflow or safety in the company, or result in disproportionate costs.
A further right to ‘bridge’ part-time working, allowing an employee to work part-time for a fixed period and then return to work full-time, was introduced in January 2019. However, this right is only available to employees of companies where at least 45 people are employed.
Under...
The Department of Home Affairs has rejected false claims circulating online that a Constitutional Court judgment means asylum seekers will be allowed to vote in South Africa. The department says t...