Compromise instead of demo

Agreement reached in dispute over service center

More desks, fewer open-plan offices - the design of the new state service center was the subject of repeated disputes until the very end. A discussion between state employees and Governor Wilfried Haslauer ended with a compromise.

50 percent open, 50 percent closed office space - this is what the premises in "Austria's most modern administration building" should look like. However, the state employees ran up a storm against this rule. They resisted the open-plan offices and even wanted to demonstrate against them. However, this did not happen.

A meeting arranged at short notice between staff representatives and Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) today, Wednesday, resulted in an agreement. Although the 50/50 ratio is still recommended for the open-plan office rate, plans of up to 60 percent are accepted by the departments.

"Desk sharing" and locking things away will be reduced
The controversial desk-sharing scheme has also been adapted. There will now be 88 desks for 100 employees instead of just 80. Existing spare space will be used for this purpose.

When it came to sharing desks in particular, the staff came up against the so-called "clean desk" principle. Desks shared with other employees had to be cleared away at the end of the day and personal belongings locked away. This regulation and its implementation is now in the hands of the respective departments in the state.

A modern office building for around 1,200 employees will be built on almost 10,000 square meters by 2026. Construction of the building near the main railway station started at the end of 2022 with demolition work. The costs: around 220 million euros.

It was also agreed that after one year - once all departments have moved in - the building will be evaluated and, if necessary, adapted with the involvement of staff representatives.