Short-time work from the perspective of someone affected

A few days ago, during a client project, we met the new Head of Corporate Communications, who has been leading this vital department at our client's company for several weeks.

During some initial small talk, she—let’s call this charming lady Ms. Wilhelm—began to share her experiences with short-time work. Her account from the perspective of someone directly affected was so impactful that we felt we had to share it.

Ms. Wilhelm told us:

“First of all: short-time work is still better than losing your job.

The historic level of short-time work, reaching 18% of all employees subject to social security contributions in April 2020, was a peak that I, too, thought would be quickly surpassed, allowing a return to normalcy. I realized in the months that followed that this was not the case. I am grateful that short-time work did not turn into unemployment—even though, at times, that would have felt more definitive.

My mind was constantly racing—it was possible that my employer wouldn't survive this crisis, in which case short-time work would have been the sad precursor to unemployment.

I couldn't gauge the situation because I had no information about where things stood.

Of course, I realized that this must have been a very unusual situation from the employer's perspective as well.

On one hand, there is the broad economic aspect, where you have very limited control over your own liquidity. The duration, intensity, and consequences were, and remain, the great unknown in this equation.

Furthermore, my management team is responsible for us employees. This is where good communication is required, because transparency and consistent information are the keys to getting through such a phase together.

What was I, as an employee, specifically concerned about?

Well, for starters, I had existential fears. While short-time work benefits are a nice safety net, they still represent a significant loss of income. Furthermore, I wanted to know the criteria used to reduce working hours. The reasons range from 'because there is nothing to do' to 'because you have a high salary and we need to cut costs.'

Quite soon, I began to wonder if I should, at best, proactively put myself back on the job market. On the other hand, I felt loyal to my employer and didn't want to jump ship immediately. So I stayed—for the time being. Hoping that it wouldn't turn out to be a mistake.

It wasn't a mistake. I was on short-time work for a total of 10 months, during which I mostly worked two days a week.

A lot happened to me during that time. I weaned myself off full-time work life. From a previously official 40-hour week plus overtime, I regressed to a 16-hour week. Major projects could no longer be tackled; we switched from a proactive, future-oriented mode to mere maintenance. I no longer saw my colleagues, and team culture almost ceased to exist.

Projects and tasks that were previously completed within three consecutive working days dragged on for weeks; because a colleague wasn't there for approval, because service providers were also on short-time work, because those who were still working were hopelessly overloaded. I was slowed down—decelerated, not just in my daily life, but above all in my head.

Sure, at the same time, there was room for new things. Hobbies I had never started. Complex topics that had gotten stuck in the daily grind. Personal development, regular exercise, hiking on Wednesday mornings at seven.

But: watching others in full-time home office also meant a feeling of useless worthlessness—every now and then.

In my field, however, this also means FOMO. Fear of missing out – the anxiety of missing things. In corporate communications, the world moves fast. While I was able to keep up to some extent through online events, I wasn't able to implement anything.

Eventually, working in the office became an extraordinary event. Getting up early, being in a room for 8 hours. A completely different rhythm from the rest of the week. Sitting still, staying focused on one thing – and yet not getting it finished.

After a few months of short-time work and the announcement that this situation would extend well into 2021, I began looking elsewhere. My need for security and the desire to create something meaningful in my job pushed me to end this miserable state of affairs.”

Ms. Wilhelm was successful in her decision, as we saw with our client. And yet, she put this into perspective – for workaholics like us – in an unexpected way:

“I felt good – although, after short-time work, 100 percent wasn't possible right away. After short-time work, I had to get used to it again: going to the office every day. Working with focus every day, for 8 hours.

So my evenings weren't just pure bliss about the wonderful new job and gratitude for a healthy company and a full salary – it was also endless exhaustion. It was less performance capacity than I am used to from myself. It was the return to power mode.”

Why are we sharing this?

Many entrepreneurs are currently having anything but an easy time. Above all, they have responsibility for the people who work in their company. Regardless of the situation your company is in:

• Communicate clearly and distinctly with your employees. This is especially true in times of crisis. State clearly what the forecasts look like, what you are doing, and how you are calculating. This transparency builds trust with your employees. Pass on information to your employees that might be important to them, for example, what they might face in terms of taxes and potential repayments after short-time work. Explain a lot; explain why and according to what criteria you make and must make decisions.

And the absolute tip from Ms. Wilhelm:

If you are bringing employees back from short-time work or hiring new employees who were previously on short-time work: support them in their return. Be aware that they need to get used to it again.