Court rules in favor of Booking, staff must be required to go to the office more often

Booking.com is allowed to require employees to work 40% of their time in the office, which translates to two days a week for full-time staff. The company's works council opposed this mandate, leading to a court case in Amsterdam where the judge ruled in favor of Booking.com. The court acknowledged that in-person meetings can enhance connection, training, and collaboration among teams. Currently, only 27% of employees meet the 40% office attendance guideline. The judge noted that employees were hired with Amsterdam as their work location and had influence over their commuting choices. A six-month transition period will be implemented before the requirement takes effect, with exceptions for individuals facing difficulties due to the new policy. The works council expressed concerns about increased commuting time and costs, as well as potential impacts on employee focus.