Dutch court allows Booking.com to require 40% office attendance

Booking Holdings

Wed 13:22

AMSTERDAM, Oct 28 (Reuters) - An Amsterdam court ruled on Wednesday that it is not unreasonable for Booking.com to require employees to spend at least 40% of their working time in the office, granting the company permission to implement the policy.
The court found convincing Booking.com's argument that in-person contact promotes team cohesion, training and development, and effective collaboration, and that mandatory attendance is a reasonable means to achieve that, in part because a voluntary arrangement had failed.
Only 27% of employees currently meet the 40% office threshold under the existing voluntary arrangement
Booking.com sued its works council after it refused to consent to the new policy; under the Works Councils Act, a court may grant  permission if it deems the council's refusal unreasonable
The court ruled the works council could not reasonably have withheld its consent, weighing Booking.com's managerial discretion and its right to give employees reasonable workplace instructions
The policy includes a six-month transition period and a hardship clause for employees who face genuine difficulties; an earlier proposal had called for 50% to 60% mandatory attendance
The court said Booking.com must continue to ensure sufficient workstations so every employee who comes to the office has a place to sit
Booking.com said it welcomed the ruling. "Moving from a recommendation to a standard of an average of two days in the office per week is not a fundamental shift, but rather a refinement of our existing policy," a spokesperson said
The spokesperson added that Booking.com plans to continue a constructive dialogue with its works council and employees as they move forward with the implementation of the policy
The works council did not immediately reply to a request for comment
          

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria)
((Charlotte.VanCampenhout@thomsonreuters.com; X: @CVanCampenhout / bsky:@charlottevc.bsky.social;))