Booking.com faces lawsuit over mandatory office days for staff
Booking.com has initiated legal action against its own works council after the body refused to approve a new policy requiring staff at its Amsterdam headquarters to work from the office three days a week. The company argues that increased in-person attendance is essential to improve collaboration and maintain competitiveness, while the works council maintains that such a change requires their formal consent.
Booking.com is heading to court after its employee representative body blocked a proposal to mandate office attendance for its seven thousand staff members based at its Amsterdam headquarters. Currently, the company only offers advice on working from home rather than strict requirements, which management argues has led to inconsistent attendance. This lack of structure, the company claims, hampers team collaboration and hinders the firm's ability to remain competitive against emerging players in the AI sector. According to Dutch law, changes to remote work policies fall under labor conditions that require formal approval from the works council.
Management intends to increase mandatory office presence to three days per week to foster better internal cooperation and strengthen team dynamics. While the company insists it still values the flexibility of remote work, it argues that current arrangements are too informal to maintain a cohesive workforce. The court will evaluate whether the company's request is reasonable, with a final decision expected in three weeks.
Based on reporting by nu. Translated and condensed by LocalHeadlines.
