Zalando workers can sit down now

Zalando report forces company’s hand

Zalando recently got into a bind after a young journalist, from German RTL, revealed her story. She had worked undercover for three months in the Erfurt logistic center and had to walk 27 km on the busiest days while there was barely any time to rest. On the contrary: time spent for theft control was deducted from breaks.

Zalando stated it will evaluate every work-related process and improve where needed. A special task force has been created to look into the matter. “It will obviously take time to fully research the situation and to develop and implement improvements”, operational manager David Schröder stated in a press release on the website.

Tattle compensation abolished

Employees now have the opportunity to sit down when they are not feeling well, outside of the breaks they already have, even though most work will still have to be done standing up or walking. Management will get additional training about corporate values and its communication philosophy. A 500 euro tattle compensation to tell on stealing colleagues will be abolished to not endanger the working atmosphere.

It was not the first time Zalando was caught in the eye of the storm for its working conditions: it had already been in trouble in 2012, when it also promised to follow up with improvements.