VodafoneZiggo wants office staff in three days a week

VodafoneZiggo has proposed that office staff come in three days a week instead of two, and wants the new home-working policy to start on 1 January. The company describes it as "the next phase of hybrid working".

The plan is still with the works council (ondernemingsraad). Staff who cannot or do not want to meet the new rules would be offered a temporary voluntary redundancy scheme, open during January, a spokesperson said. The spokesperson stressed that it is only a proposal.

The company argues that meeting colleagues creates room for "collaboration, knowledge sharing, learning and connection". Staying at home can be a logical choice when few people are expected in, it says, but that makes meeting less likely.

This week the district court in Amsterdam ruled that Booking.com may ask staff to spend at least 40% of their time in the office. The case came to court because Booking.com's works council did not agree to that requirement.

The court said the employer must look at individual cases where the new rules cause problems. Booking.com must also provide enough desks and chairs.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 3.6 million working people in the Netherlands still work from home regularly or occasionally.