Work-Life-Balance

Here at Bayer, our working time systems and models are as varied as our work. Flextime is available to the vast majority of our employees, apart from shift workers. Our range of part-time models also gives employees the option to customize their working hours to meet their own requirements. This model was established in the General Works Agreement on “Part-time employment” in 1988.

Here at Bayer, we promote working schedules that allow employees to harmonize their professional and personal needs. In Germany, a consistent framework for this was established in 2015 as part of a General Works Agreement. Two options are available: “Telecommuting” means working at a permanent home office on a regular or scheduled basis from home. “Mobile working” means working from home or at a different location only occasionally and on a short-term basis.

With the “BayZeit” long-term account, all permanent employees are offered the attractive option to accumulate time credits alongside their salary as part of their gross compensation. This can then be used to finance a period of leave. This gives them the freedom to care for relatives, engage in further training, or take an extended period of parental leave. It also offers the possibility of a phased transition to retirement.

As the retirement age increases, most people will have to continue working for longer. Here at Bayer, we have developed a program designed to reduce the associated pressures, by increasing the amount of annual leave for employees aged 57 and over by up to 30 additional days.

Our employees’ knowledge, skills and experience are vital to Bayer’s success. This expertise doesn’t end when employees retire. Through the „Bayer Senior Experts Network (BaySEN)“ we have made it possible for former employees to work for us on a temporary basis, enabling them to share their expertise.

Even if you are committed to your job and love your work, sometimes family comes first. This is particularly true when children or relatives need special care or attention. Here at Bayer, we not only accept this responsibility, we also actively support it.

Children achieve the biggest milestones in their development during their first few months and years. It is only natural that parents should want to experience as much of this as possible. Mothers can take advantage of parental leave once their maternity leave comes to an end. Fathers can benefit from parental leave as soon as their child is born. As an employer, we can offer our employees an individual package of information and advice to support them in this important time.

Expert, caring childcare, long opening hours and close to work – parents are much more relaxed at work if they know that their children are being well looked after. We therefore provide around 450 daycare places at our facilities in Leverkusen, Monheim, Dormagen, Wuppertal, Bergkamen, Frankfurt and Berlin, as part of our family-friendly approach.

School vacations often mean a lot of juggling for working parents who don’t have family to rely upon. One way to handle this is to take advantage of our vacation care service, available to Bayer employee’s children between six and fourteen years old, which is provided by Bayer associations in Leverkusen, Dormagen, Krefeld-Uerdingen and Wuppertal-Elberfeld. In addition, we make a financial contribution toward the cost of vacation care for our employees’ children. This is also available to commuters who prefer to use a different childcare provider closer to home.

Even when working parents have organized reliable childcare, they may face times when their usual caregiver is unavailable, and they can’t find a short-term alternative. Here at Bayer, we have set up parent-child offices at some of our facilities in Germany to help parents faced with this situation. The offices are available at short notice and with a minimum of red tape.

We cooperate with two experienced service providers to offer our employees free expert advice on all aspects of childcare. In particular, these services include researching suitable private, public or independent facilities, as well as arranging childcare at home, daycare, au-pairs, babysitters, residential places, schools, homework or private tutors.

It can be a major challenge to combine working and caring for a relative. We therefore want to offer as much support as possible to any employees in this situation. In Germany, we set out our commitment in the General Works Agreement “Caring for close relatives”. This includes the option to take a period of leave or reduce your working hours, as well as free, confidential advice from an experienced specialist provider.

Covering the school holidays, completing yoga teacher training, planning a trip to visit friends in Australia or just enjoying some time off? At Bayer, we know the reasons for taking more time off are as diverse as our employees. In the scope of a pilot project, authorized employees can now purchase additional time off by converting a portion of their bonus into up to five days of paid leave. We wish all those who choose FreiZeit many wonderful memories.