(Bloomberg) -- For more bank employees in Germany, the end of a workday appears to really mean the end of a workday.
The share of employees who can often be reached by email or phone after office hours on weekdays has fallen to 24% in 2018 from 31% in 2013, according to a study by Kantar TNS on behalf of the industry's employer association AGV Banken, which was seen by Bloomberg.
Weekend availability fell to 15% from 22% during the same period while holiday availability dropped to 12% from 15%.
Germany in particular is known for its short working days. Employees tend to work very efficiently and productively, for which they are rewarded with more off-time.
“The way we deal with availability is changing. Everyone involved is aware that it is now a part of working life. All the more attention is obviously paid to when availability is really necessary and how it is designed,” said Carsten Rogge-Strang, managing director of the employer association.
Especially for lenders with a focus on capital market and securities trading, the workload is very high at times, said Florian Schopf, Head of Group Strategy at Baader Bank AG. “This makes it all the more important for employees to take sufficient time to recover,” he added.
Around a quarter of all employees feel burdened when being contacted outside office hours, the study also showed, arguing that their private life is being impaired and there is less opportunity to relax after work.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephan Kahl in Frankfurt at skahl@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Schaefer at dschaefer36@bloomberg.net, Ingo Kolf
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