Quereinsteige, Forfait mobilité durable and the Voluntary Returns Scheme

What do Quereinsteige, Forfait mobilité durable and the UK’s Voluntary Returns Scheme have in common……

They are all examples of how fast the future of work is changing across Europe. Read on……

Germany

On average, Germans work in the same job for 11 years, but recent surveys indicate that the opposite. “Quereinsteiger” or career changers is more popular these days.

The famous Quereinsteigerin, Chancellor Angela Merkel (originally a research scientist), wants to destigmatise career changes to combat the predicted shortfall of 8 m workers in the next decade. Presumably though, Smart Workers from other countries could help plug the gap.

France

They’ve introduced a “sustainable mobility package” to encourage employees to reduce the use of cars to travel to work. It covers commuting costs of employees who use environmentally friendly transport. The package, paid for by the employer, is exempt from income/social security tax up to a max of €500 for private sector employees.

It can be combined with the reimbursement of fuel costs or 50% of a public transport season ticket. Smart thinking in terms of encouraging people back to offices – but will it work?

Britain

Amid the reported shift of London’s financial centre across the Channel to gain unrestrained access to the EU market, the UK government has added EU citizens to its voluntary returns scheme, just months before the deadline to apply for settled status on 30 June 2021.

The scheme offers financial support, such as payment of flights and up to £2,000 resettlement money, to EEA nationals and families to return to their country of origin!

If they leave, we may find gaps in the employment market which can be filled by Smart Workers in remote parts of the UK. Alternatively, EU citizens may leave and simply continue to work remotely.

Is your workforce ready for the future of work?