The basis for the agreement for the new division are the metal and electrical industry’s industry-level agreements. To find and retain highly qualified skilled workers, the agreement is, however, offering more. From 2019, the new Bosch department’s approximately 300 employees will be able to choose to work 35, 38, or 40 hours a week. The employees can decide themselves when and how much they work. “Instead of fixed salary groups, there are salary bands,” reports IG Metall. In addition, each employee will have a training budget at their disposal. Employees will also receive a comprehensive health check every two years, a perk usually reserved for managers, reports German online news Website heise.de .

Whether this will help companies win over the much sought-after skilled workers remains to be seen. According to heise.de, Bosch has now filled one in every two non-production vacancies with software and IT experts. A startup study conducted by German wage portal gehalt.de has, however, shown that employees in these professions do not just value salary; often, they value more working in a small team, flat hierarchies, and a high degree of independence.