Siemens to let staff spend less time in the office permanently

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s Siemens has decided to let its employees work from wherever they want for two or three days a week, in the latest example of how the coronavirus is making major companies re-think how and where their staff work.

The Munich-based trains to industrial software maker said its board had approved a new working model which will allow employees to work from where they are most productive, including at home or from a co-working space.

“The aim is to enable employees worldwide to work on a mobile basis for an average of two or three days a week, whenever reasonable and feasible,” Siemens said in a statement.

“These changes will also be associated with a different leadership style, one that focuses on outcomes rather than on time spent at the office,” said incoming Chief Executive Roland Busch.

Technology companies such as Twitter Inc have been taking the lead on a permanent shift that is gaining traction in other industries as firms seek cost reductions or employee convenience – or both.

Siemens, which is the first large German company to make permanent changes to how it organises how staff work, said the new model will apply to more than 140,000 employees at around 125 locations in 43 countries.

(Reporting by Alexander Huebner and Caroline Copley; Editing by Michelle Martin)