ebm-papst: German industrial fan leader lets employees work “whenever they want”

World leader in its section, ebm-papst group has recently launched, in its head office in Mulfingen (Baden-Württemberg), an extremely flexible working time system.  Indeed, the 1,000 employees involved in central services can come to work whenever they want, provided that customer service and at least 4 continuous daily hours are guaranteed.  Introduced at the beginning of the year, within the framework of a “contract to secure the site,” this system was negotiated with the WC of this company, which employs 11,000 people and makes 75 percent of its sales abroad.  In the German industry, similar working time models “based on trust” are starting to spread but none goes as far as this one.  The IG-Metall isn’t against it but is closely watching the supervision of these new forms of organization of labor, so that excess freedom doesn’t conceal excess work.