Kutter hjemmekontor før omorganisering

Entercard, a Norwegian financial company, has announced the end of its home office arrangement for its 135 employees in the country. Previously, employees were able to choose two fixed home office days each week, a similar arrangement that DNB recently decided to discontinue. The news was communicated via email on Thursday last week, informing staff that the company will now adopt an "office first" model, with the home office agreement being terminated as of October 12th.

The HR representative stated that employees' fixed working locations will be the company's premises, unless an alternative arrangement is agreed upon with their immediate supervisor. Pål Behrens, leader for employment at the Finansforbundet trade union, expressed criticism towards how the change was implemented, noting that it came as a shock to employees and that there was no prior discussion with the company's representatives. The union has received numerous negative responses from members, which they understand.

The change in policy comes as Entercard is undergoing a reorganization, following its purchase by Swedbank earlier in the summer. However, employees have not yet received clear information on how the change will affect them. According to Behrens, the reorganization may result in significant job cuts at Entercard, but the company has not provided a concrete timeline or scope of the reduction in staffing.

Behrens from the Finansforbundet trade union is critical of the timing of the home office elimination, particularly in light of the company-wide workforce reduction. He believes that the move may be perceived as an additional burden by employees, who are reacting negatively to the situation. Behrens also suspects that the company may be reducing the home office option to encourage employees to voluntarily resign.

Alexander Caple, a press contact at Entercard, confirms that the company has implemented a new policy requiring employees to be in the office five days a week. He writes that while there are differing opinions on the matter, Entercard is still "evaluating" the situation. Caple declined to comment on Behrens' statements regarding the lack of discussion with the union's representatives regarding the change in policy.