Audi shapes the hybrid working world

The new “Hybrid Working” company agreement has been in force at Audi’s Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites since October 1. In the future, this will enable employees to freely choose their place of work. However, there is no intention to completely forego presence. In this way, work in production is also to become more flexible.

The aim of the new company agreement is to give employees more flexibility by allowing them to choose where they work. There would probably be no fixed days of presence. Audi is deliberately focusing on desk sharing, the redesign of office space and financial support for ergonomic equipment in the home office. The aim is to achieve a better balance between mobile and face-to-face work.

In the future, employees will discuss with their managers which days they will come into the office and which days they will work from home, “provided this is compatible with their work tasks,” says Audi. However, there will be no rigid guidelines in this regard. Quite the opposite. Instead, the company wants to let employees decide for themselves which working model is right for them, based on their respective life situations.

The previous “Mobile Working” company agreement has now been replaced by the new “Hybrid Working” company agreement. According to Audi, the experience has been positive. 

Xavier Ros (Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Organization at Audi): “The new company agreement is a consistent step toward a hybrid working environment and at the same time an expression of a corporate culture that is characterized by personal responsibility and trust, which we will continue to consistently promote in the future.”

Employees in production

The situation is somewhat different for production employees who cannot work from home. Here, better room concepts, new catering offers and more flexible working models are being planned to improve working conditions. Audi received support here from the University of St. Gallen, which surveyed 1,500 employees from over 100 different departments.

Nevertheless, Audi does not want to completely dispense with the office presence of employees, as personal contact strengthens the feeling of togetherness. “Innovative ideas are created in a joint exchange,” Audi says.

To make this possible, the technical and spatial conditions are now being created at the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites, in the form of project corners, meeting rooms, creative spaces and lounges, among other things. The focus here is on communication, networking and collaboration.

However, desk sharing is to remain voluntary, as some employees prefer a personal workstation. Such a desk can be booked via a digital tool.

Employees who work on a mobile basis and wish to participate in desk sharing receive not only technical equipment in the form of an IT package, but also a 500-euro voucher (currently up to 750 euros until June 30, 2023) for ergonomic office equipment. 

The new company agreement is an “elementary building block” of the “better normal” concept, which is intended to provide Audi employees with maximum flexibility. The basis for modern working models is the culture of trust and personal responsibility practiced at Audi, which strongly promotes them. 

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* Source: Elektroniknet