Work-Life Balance

WACKER offers its employees extensive opportunities to balance their private and professional lives. These include multiple work-time models, childcare assistance, school-vacation support at Burghausen (our largest site) and at Nünchritz, one week of “family time” for parents of children under eight and support for employees caring for relatives. Our company has a wide range of flextime models, including a self-regulated system based on trust (working-time autonomy). Where possible, we offer both full-time and part-time positions. WACKER enables employees to work from home (an option that may be combined with part-time work).

Remote Work

Overarching trends in the working world, such as digitalization and flexible working models, are increasingly influencing work structures at WACKER. They call for greater versatility as regards forms of work, especially in exceptional times like the current pandemic.

The pilot projects launched since 2018, and the subsequent company agreements on remote work for employees at head office and our Consortium research facility in Munich and at our sales office in Stuttgart, were extended until 2021. After obtaining approval from their supervisors, employees have the opportunity of performing an agreed portion of their work remotely. In this way, we are enabling them to work wherever and whenever they want and moving in sync with the all-pervading trend: the digital transformation. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have protected the health of our employees by allowing them to work from home, provided the type of work they perform is suitable and their supervisors agree.

Our employees have access to a variety of leave options and part-time models for personal situations, such as providing care for family members with serious health conditions, pursuing further education or taking a sabbatical. Unpaid leaves of absence are possible for periods of up to two years; for the duration of the Shape the Future efficiency program, that can also be extended up to four years. These arrangements are based on company agreements and on the “Working Life and Demography” collective-bargaining agreement, and offer employees a wide range of options for balancing their careers with different stages of their lives.

We actively support childcare services and a return to work after maternity/paternity leave, e.g. by offering reintegration workshops. At most of our sites, a service provider helps find places for children in kindergartens and day care centers or provides support in finding alternative care options. Whether employees themselves or family members fall ill or need nursing care, employees in Germany can obtain advice from a consultation service.

WACKER’s membership in the Familienpakt Bayern (Family Pact Bavaria) network (German-language website only) sponsored jointly by the Bavarian state government and Bavarian industry, highlights its goal of fostering a family-friendly corporate culture.