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Everyday office life: Who wouldn't like to spend more time here?
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Germany lacks hundreds of thousands of skilled workers, at the same time many would rather stop sooner than later.
The general manager of the Confederation of Employers' Associations (BDA), Steffen Kampeter, sees this extremely critically.
He calls for longer working hours – and a greater desire to work.
"We need more motivation to work," he said in an interview with the specialist information service "Table.Media".
A good work-life balance "you can get there even if you work 39 hours a week," he said.
»We have to reorganize the business model Germany«
His statements are in contrast to what a large study of 2,900 employees recently found on working hours.
Researchers had investigated what happens if you work one day less per week.
Result: Despite the lower weekly working hours, satisfaction and profit increased.
Kampeter, on the other hand, says: »We will have to work longer«.
The former CDU member of the Bundestag called retirement at 63 an "obvious failure of politics".
Kampeter complains that the better the education and salary, the sooner employees retire.
This year, 250,000 employees would take early retirement without deductions.
"As a result, we are losing many excellent employees in the factories."
In general, according to Kampeter in the interview, there is a lack of innovation and future spirit.
»Germany has always been more productive and innovative than many of its competitors in the past.
In this way we have secured a high added value," said Kampeter.
Germany has never been a country with particularly high weekly or annual working hours.
But over the years, the other competitive advantages have also been lost.
»We have to reorganize the German business model.«
In the interview, the representative of the association demanded that performance also play a greater role in schools.
»Performance is worth something.
What's more, we need performance.« At the same time, Kampeter calls for »daycare places for everyone«, because this is the phase in which the foundations are laid.
Apr/AFP
