All leadership positions at OTTO are now available on a part-time basis

“Successful leadership and part-time contracts are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary: we firmly believe that leaders are most effective and convincing when they have a balance between their private and professional lives. However, a leadership role can be intense – as I know from personal experience – which is why the minimum of 80 percent of full-time working hours has become the new norm. With this new policy, we are creating the conditions to increase gender diversity across all management levels, primarily by increasing the representation of women in leadership positions. It’s fair to say: many women want a leadership role, but the prerequisites are often lacking”, says Katy Roewer, who works 80 percent of the time as OTTO’s Director of Service and Human Resources.

With the new part-time option for leadership positions, OTTO is supporting a more flexible approach to working hours for all individuals, regardless of gender and gender identity, and is promoting a more equitable distribution of unpaid care work (“Equal Care”). For many years, OTTO has successfully implemented flexible work models with individual flexitime and part-time options. Remote work is also possible at OTTO beyond the coronavirus pandemic: the teams continue to have the autonomy to decide when, how, and where they work.

All OTTO’s employees also benefit from staff discounts, holiday and Christmas bonuses, a pension scheme, equity participation, a wide range of company sports and leisure activities as well as a subsidised Deutschlandticket, which costs only 30 euros per month instead of 49 euros. Workations and sabbaticals are also possible, in addition to extensive training and event programmes, state-of-the-art office space on the Otto campus, after-work events and much more.