The Technical University of Kaiserslautern is a modern and attractive employer

In collaboration with the staff council and university leadership, the Human Resources Department developed a work agreement titled “Alternating Digital Work.” We spoke with Stephanie Denowell, head of HA3, about the reasons behind and the implications of the new work agreement.

Ms. Denowell, since mid-November, there has been a “Work Agreement on Alternating Digital Work” that generally allows TUK employees to work from home. How did this decision come about, and to what extent is digital work possible?

The past year and a half has turned our familiar working world upside down. Due to the pandemic, almost everyone had to start working from home overnight. This presented a major challenge for all of us. Even now, working from home serves not only to reduce contact—it is also a modern aspect of the working world, of which TUK is a part. The task now was to establish a legal framework for this new reality.

In principle, every TUK employee is permitted to perform part of their work from home, provided that this is feasible from a work-related perspective. The plan is that employees must be present at TUK for at least two workdays per week, and that alternating remote work will be possible for up to 60% of the weekly work hours. I would like to emphasize that there is no entitlement to alternating work arrangements. The decision regarding whether and to what extent remote work is possible will be made in an individual agreement between each employee and their respective supervisor. This agreement will serve as the legal basis for allowing TUK employees to work flexibly in the future.

What does this individual agreement look like?

Each supervisor must decide to what extent it is beneficial for each of their employees to work from home. There must be a balanced ratio between working from home and working on campus at TUK.

Since November 17, you can find an “Application for Alternating Digital Work from Home” on the Human Resources Department’s website. This application must be completed by supervisors in consultation with the respective employees and submitted to HA3. After reviewing the applications, the Human Resources Department will draw up the respective individual agreements. This will certainly take some time, and we ask the TUK community to please be patient, as applications will be processed in the order they are received.

Regardless of the employment agreement, the occupational safety requirement to reduce contact still applies due to the current situation. Wherever sufficient protection is not provided under TUK’s current hygiene regulations, contact should be reduced through remote work due to the pandemic.

Under what conditions can TUK employees work on an alternating basis?

The legal basis is the individual agreement on alternating digital work. It is limited to a maximum of one year from the date of conclusion. However, an extension is possible. Until such an extension is granted, employees will not be able to work on an alternating digital basis in the future. Of course, there are also job categories at TUK whose duties require physical presence on campus. In principle, it is the supervisor’s responsibility to organize their team’s work in such a way that on-site operations are ensured. This means that the number of days on which TUK employees work remotely on an alternating basis may well be limited.

What are the requirements for implementing hybrid remote work?

First and foremost, it places high demands on data protection. In principle, work from home may only be conducted using IT equipment provided by TUK. Since some of our employees are currently still working from home on their own devices, there will be a temporary exception. This exemption will be granted to the respective department for approximately one year to develop and implement an appropriate plan. Employees who are currently still working with personal devices agree to comply with data protection and information security standards. This is an indispensable prerequisite for being granted the option of working remotely.

I am confident that, with this service agreement, TUK has further solidified its reputation as a modern and attractive employer in the region. It is a work concept that enables a more flexible work style. Above all, it promotes work-life balance and improves working conditions for people with severe disabilities.

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You can find the service agreement on the HA3 website at:

www.uni-kl.de/intern/meine-tuk/hauptabteilung-3/informationen-und-downloads

or, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact: digitalesarbeiten[at]verw.uni-kl.de