New attractive benefits for east cosmos employees since January 2022
east cosmos is going on the offensive to enable its employees to achieve an improved work-life balance and to counteract the bad image of the catering and hotel industry as an employer caused by the pandemic. With the restructuring of the working time model and attractive leisure activities since January 2022, east cosmos has been in the fast lane with its operations in Hamburg.

"In the gastronomy and hotel sector, we have inevitably been dealing with the problem of finding good, committed employees for many years - and above all being able to keep them long-term," says hotel manager Felizitas Denz.

The ongoing pandemic with the many lockdowns and the ongoing uncertainty did the rest and so an above-average number of people left the industry, which had been labeled as unsafe. The staff turnover was and still is immense and leads to losses in the area of ​​customer proximity and guest orientation.
But not only the pandemic has changed the labor market, but also the tendency of many young people to give "life" a greater status in the "work-life balance" model. The unconditional goal of a steep career is often subordinated to balanced leisure activities. Employers can only counter this development with appropriate offers.
 
For years, east cosmos as an employer has been offering extensive health care for its employees in the form of free vaccinations, e.g. against the flu virus, annual ophthalmological eye tests, first aid courses, insoles for work shoes and, during the ongoing pandemic, also vaccinations and booster vaccinations against SARS -Cov-2 virus as well as free rapid Covid tests. But what else can companies do?
"We have to create sustainable incentives that bind our employees in the long term and at conditions that are also economically feasible for us as an employer," says Human Resources Director Peggy Schwitalla. With the measures that have been in force since January 2022, the company has come a long way. In detail, this means the following:
 
Introduction of the 4-day week and reduction of full-time working hours to 39 hours per week
In the future, full-time employees in the gastronomic areas will have a choice:If desired, they can switch to the 4-day week model or receive an additional day of vacation every two months. The hours to be worked remain unchanged, but are spread over four days instead of five. As before, overtime hours are accumulated on the individual working time account and remunerated in the form of time off or a payment. In addition, full-time employment will be reduced across the board from 40 hours to 39 hours.

Vacation days – more is more
Employees who take up employment after January 1st, 2022 are welcomed with 26 days of vacation. The trend is rising – because one additional day of vacation is credited to both new and existing employees for each year of service. A total of up to 32 vacation days can be gained through membership. Especially for long-term employees, this represents great added value and a motivation for all new colleagues.

Extensive fitness offer
The employees of the east cosmos will find a variety of opportunities for sporting balance of their professional activity, whether sitting at their desk or standing, or continuously in the operative business with the guest, in the diverse range of the Urban Sports Club. With the free M membership, which every employee automatically receives, many varied sports offers in Hamburg and the surrounding area or online can be taken advantage of. From A for Aikido, B for Bouldering to Y for Yoga, there is something for everyone.

Visiting friends
In order to be able to appear as a guest in the restaurants of the east cosmos, all employees* enjoy a discount of 30% on food and drinks consumed in the east restaurant, coast by east & enoteca and the clouds - Heaven's Bar & Kitchen. This applies to groups of up to seven people, such as friends and family.

In the next six months, the acceptance and use of the new benefits by the employees will be analyzed and checked for future feasibility and profitability - with the aim of continuing to ensure an enriching win-win situation for employers and employees.

"At the end of last year, the announcement of the new benefits was received very positively by the workforce and the use made so far makes us confident that we are on the right track here. Another internal survey at the end of the project will show us where we stand and where we may need to make adjustments,” says Human Resources Director Peggy Schwitalla.

The project is currently being used in the east Hotel & Restaurant, coast by east & coast enoteca as well as the clouds - Heaven's Bar & Kitchen and the east Food Manufactory in Hamburg. Around 400 employees are currently benefiting from the new opportunities.