Metzingen, August 19, 2020
"Threedom of Work" – HUGO BOSS adopts mobile working
Remote working will remain a central feature at HUGO BOSS after the Coronavirus crisis. In October the Group is launching a hybrid program entitled "Threedom of Work" which provides for a mix of office-based and mobile working. This makes HUGO BOSS one of the first companies in the fashion industry to establish telecommuting as a standard.
The Works Council and Managing Board have already resolved to implement the new work model. It will be available initially to the approximately 3,200 employees in Germany whose jobs do not require physical attendance at the workplace. The concept provides for three days on site from Tuesdays to Thursdays, with employees free to choose their location on the remaining two days of the week. The three core days allow meetings and events to be scheduled more effectively, and also help foster the corporate culture – which at HUGO BOSS revolves strongly around personal interaction.
The decision to make working arrangements more flexible was based on an internal survey of some 2,000 employees. The clear outcome: more than 90 percent of respondents would welcome between two and three days of mobile working a week. They felt less stressed in their home offices during the pandemic, were more productive, and also had more time for their families. Managers were also very happy with the standard of work produced by their remote teams. The impromptu large-scale home-office experiment has shown that successful operation is possible without the physical presence of employees on site five days a week.
"The survey confirmed what most of us already knew: the future belongs to tailored combinations of office-based and off-site work," concludes Jochen Eckhold, Director Global Human Resources. "Our hybrid working model caters to employees' growing desire for alternative scheduling and location options. As an employer, we feel it is our responsibility to accommodate these changing needs."
Alongside allowing employees more flexibility, particularly in terms of balancing work and family, HUGO BOSS is also seeking to protect the environment by reducing physical commuting. Last but not least, the Group believes that the new model will enhance its appeal as an employer. The goal is to attract more applicants from other regions and countries.
The Group expects the "Threedom of Work" provisions to be broadly embraced and widely used, and anticipates that comparable models will be adopted shortly at its international subsidiaries. HUGO BOSS employs some 14,600 people in 60 subsidiaries around the world.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Carolin Westermann
Head of Corporate Communications
Phone: +49 7123 94-86321
E-mail: carolin_westermann@hugoboss.com
