Booking.com works council to appeal office attendance ruling

Booking.com Works Council Challenges Mandatory Office Attendance Ruling

Booking.com Office Attendance Dispute Overview

AMSTERDAM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Booking.com's works council said on Tuesday it would appeal a ruling by an Amsterdam court that allowed the company to require employees to work from the office 40% of the time.

Background of the Dispute

• Booking.com had sued its works council after it refused to consent to the new mandatory policy

• The Amsterdam subdistrict court ruled in the company's favour on October 28

Works Council's Arguments

• The council, however, said on Tuesday that it believes the judge did not apply the correct criteria set by the Supreme Court and failed to adequately consider several key arguments it raised

• Booking.com has not provided substantive evidence that mandatory attendance would improve the working environment or help reach its goals, the council said

• The majority of employees who answered an employee survey, managers included, said they do not agree with the change, it said

• The council said it is not against working from the office and supports the current policy encouraging, not requiring, 40% attendance

Booking.com's Response

• In response to the works council's decision to appeal, Booking.com said it was "disappointed"

• "We believe in the importance of striking a balance between giving employees the flexibility to work from home and bringing people together in the office," it said

Reporting Credits

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Joe Bavier)