The forgotten IT professional: 80,000 euros and nothing to do in the home office!

The forgotten IT professional: 80,000 euros and nothing to do in the home office!

In the age of digital work, there are bizarre stories that make the round. An IT specialist from Germany has now told about his extraordinary job, in which he earns 80,000 euros annually and hardly has to do anything. He reports that his employer, a medium-sized law firm, apparently forgot him in the home office. The man who originally had the task of managing digital evidence of processes quickly found that this was the only task that he was expected for his 8-hour shift. It all sounds almost too good to be true - and that's it. Already during the pandemic he developed a computer program that took on his work. So he spends his working days with being "present" in the system, playing video games and just checking whether everything is going correctly shortly before the end of the day. He receives about 6,500 euros per month without getting new tasks, such as Today. reported.

home office abroad: a trend with legal challenges

But the home office is not just an isolated case. More and more workers are dreaming of doing part of their work from exotic locations. However, the legal framework is complex and often extremely complicated. This Situation requires the approval of the employer, since mobile work from abroad raises some labor law issues. A common obstacle is that many employers have concerns about not being able to monitor their employees abroad sufficiently. It should be noted that even if the employees work remote, the German tax and social law provisions continue to apply as long as their living conditions remain in Germany. The respective A1 certificate is necessary to prove that the social security contributions are still being paid in Germany, as Flexopus clearly explained.

The relocation of the workplace abroad can raise many questions, especially with regard to tax obligations and compulsory insurance. Anyone who works abroad more than 183 days a year could be confronted with additional tax obligations in the home country. Fortunately, many of the provisions within the EU are relatively uniform, which reduces complexity. Nevertheless, the challenge remains to make the right agreements with the employer in order to minimize such risks.