Published by Thomas Gwosdek
Last updated on March 03, 2022
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6 minute read
Compared to other countries, Germany has always been very attached to the "culture of presence". Now, however, the pandemic has proven to skeptics that things can be done differently and has dispelled many concerns. What was the privilege of a minority among Germany's workforce before the pandemic has become a mass phenomenon in these times of seemingly endless corona lockdowns. Office workplaces have been relocated to the office at home. The door to modern working has been pushed wide open!
The proportion of employees in Germany who work predominantly from home offices recently rose from 5% to 25%. This means that home offices are unlikely to become a rarity, even after the pandemic.
Here at Paessler, too, the majority of employees work remotely.
At the beginning of the pandemic, only part of our workforce was sent to work remotely. After several weeks, the HR team was able to determine that the work processes were even more productive than on-site in the office, and so it was decided that all employees could work remotely if they chose to.
Now, each employee can decide which of the three available working models suits them the best. This is the new normal, the new standard of working at Paessler.
Thanks to this new flexible way of working, it's possible to have temporary stays abroad or even to relocate completely. In fact, a few of our employees have been drawn to other cities and foreign countries, as will be explained in more detail in the following section.
Clark 5310mi/8547km away from home
Clark's life had already changed a few months before the outbreak of the pandemic, and due to a case of illness in the family, he was already planning a trip to his old home in Portland, USA. He had just decided on an extended stay there when the pandemic hit, and the entire Paessler staff was sent home to work remotely.
After conferences with his supervisors as well as HR, it was decided he would be allowed to work from Portland. Clark felt like he was on a private jet on the flight back home, since only 20% of the seats were occupied and there was no mask requirement back in April 2020 yet.
Once back home, he got to spend valuable time with his family. Flexible working hours made it possible for him to take care of his family in between.
“It continually shocks me how great Paessler is to their employees. Thank you!”
In November 2020, his second visit home was scheduled. He noticed other advantages. For one thing, the Google results from the previous day were already waiting for him in his inbox, because West Coast time is Google time. In addition, he was able to re-experience two cherished U.S. traditions: presidential election lawn signs, and Thanksgiving. After many years away, these were truly special experiences for Clark.
Regina @ Lago Maggiore
Like Clark, Regina also opted for flex mode. For the past year, like most of us, she has spent most of her time working from home. Privately, she noticed that the social restrictions made her feel lonely, especially when her partner went to Italy to take care of family matters. Logically, she wanted to join her partner on his next trip.
To make this happen, the first step was to talk to her manager. There are some basic requirements that have to be met in order to be able to work from outside Germany. After this was clarified, all that remained was an official request to the HR department with the previously clarified details and the approval of her manager. There was approval, and Regina's new working arrangement began.
On a sunny weekend at the end of February, she and her partner went to a small town on Lake Maggiore for a week. There were no big differences to the work she did back in the office, except that now she got a brioche for breakfast every day, along with real Italian coffee and a view. The whole process was a thoroughly positive experience for her.
Would you like to join the team?
Do you like the way we work and the flexibility this gives us as Paessler employees? Why don't you take a look at our open jobs? Maybe you will soon be telling your personal remote working story on our blog.
❤️ A very special thanks goes to our HR team, our back-office team, and our IT team, for the weeks of intricate planning during the pandemic, and the confidence that new ways of working can and will lead to success!
You there!
