Smart Working and Flexibility in the Municipal Administration

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Efficiency, Equality

Smart Working and Flexibility in the Municipal Administration

A new way of working for work-life balance.

Bolzano City Council

Italy

Local policy

POLICY OBJECTIVE

The Municipality of Bolzano has made work-life balance one of the most important objectives of its employee policies. Since 1995, many instruments have been introduced to improve work-life balance, such as flexible working hours, part-time work and child and elderly care leave.

During this time, however, it has been observed that it is mainly female employees who change their working hours to cope with family commitments. Part-time work is not an optimal solution because then pensions are also reduced.

Smart working, on the other hand, is a good solution for work-life balance that has been very much appreciated during the health crisis.

CONTEXT

Today, the Municipality of Bolzano employs 997 people, 550 women and 447 men. Two hundred nineteen employees are on part-time contracts and 203 of these are women. Part-time work cannot be the only answer to time management needs.

Flexible working hours and new forms of work can help to improve work-life balance. Smart working is an excellent way of working and also has an impact on mobility in the city.

POLICY DESCRIPTION

Smart working, which became available in November 2021, can be requested by all employees with work that can be performed away from the office.

Employees and their managers agree on new working hours with a maximum of two days a week of smart working.

Employees has a daily time slot in which they can be contacted. For the rest of the day they can work when it is most convenient for them.

KEY ASPECTS

The most innovative part of this working tool is that it completely changes the way of working in a public administration.
Work is no longer made up of daily activities, rather, work is organised around objectives.
The foundation must be a good relationship of trust and collaboration.

RESULTS

The desired results are greater job satisfaction, fewer absences due to family care, better work quality and greater sense of belonging and collaboration.

Policy's Website

Sabina

Scola

Office of Statistics and Time

sabina.scola@comune.bolzano.it

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