Debate over Part-Time Culture in Germany Sparked by Commerzbank Executive's LinkedIn Post
Frankfurt-based Sabine Mlnarsky, who is a regular contributor on the career networking platform LinkedIn, has found herself facing criticism for her recent post on part-time culture in Germany. While Mlnarsky typically shares thoughts on non-controversial topics like travel, company events, or the Viennese Opera Ball, her latest post has ignited a discussion that is prevalent in various companies, politics, and academia: Are Germans working too little? And what can businesses and the government do to encourage longer professional engagement? Mlnarsky's contentious LinkedIn post, which she published in mid-May, summarized key points from a presentation at a banking conference in Vienna where she discussed strategies to address the shortage of skilled workers. In addition to advocating for more qualified immigration and a greater focus on training and retraining, she also called for lower part-time rates in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Describing the current part-time culture as '90s rhetoric,' Mlnarsky argued, 'We need to move away from the part-time culture in the DACH region.' Her statement that '30 percent of employees working part-time is simply too much' did not sit well with some Commerzbank employees and members of the works council, as evidenced by messages in an internal chat group disclosed to Handelsblatt.
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