Booking can compel staff to spend two days in the office: court

A court has ruled that travel website Booking.com can require its employees to spend at least two days per week in the office, ending a dispute with the company’s works council. This decision was anticipated as the judge had previously suggested that mandating 40% of an employee’s contracted hours be spent on-site was "very normal".

Currently, about a quarter of Booking.com’s 7,000 employees travel to the company’s Amsterdam headquarters twice weekly. The employer had suggested the two-day office requirement to enhance workplace relations, training, and efficient work practices. However, when management attempted to make the guideline mandatory, the works council opposed it, citing concerns about work-life balance, commuting times, and travel costs, as well as questioning whether it would lead to improved performance.

The judge acknowledged the company's consideration of employees' concerns and responded by instituting a six-month transition period with a minimum office time of 40%, rather than 50% or 60%. Booking expressed satisfaction with the judgment, noting that the two-day rule is an extension of their existing policy. The company values its relationship with the works council and aims to maintain constructive dialogue with employees as they roll out the new policy.

Employment lawyer Pascal Besselink stated that other companies seeking to increase office time would closely monitor the judgment, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good relationships with employees and consulting thoroughly on remote work arrangements. Dutch News, which provides this service free of charge, relies on reader support to continue reporting on important issues and delivering daily news summaries.