Germany - Employees do not have to provide their private mobile phone number to their employer

The German regional labour court of Thuringia recently answered this question (case no 5 Ca 163/17 and 5 Ca 125/17). The case concerned a municipal employer who demanded that employees provide their private mobile phone numbers following a change in the system for on-call duties. Their aim was to be able to reach employees in case of emergencies, even during times that fell outside their on-call duty. Some employees refused to share their private mobile numbers and received written warnings. The employees took action to demand the removal of the warnings from the personnel file.

The regional labour court, upholding the decision of the lower court, held that the employer must remove the written warnings from the personnel files on the basis that the employer's obligation to provide private mobile numbers deeply intervened in the personal lives of employees. If they were to provide their numbers the result would mean that they were constantly available to the employer and therefore would not be able to rest.  The court found that the employee's interests of data protection prevail over the right to informational self-determination.

Practical tip

The decision does not mean that employers can never request information about private mobile phone numbers from employees.

Accessibility and communication channels can be agreed in an employment contract. In doing so, care must be taken to comply with all legal requirements, such as working hours.

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions on this topic or if you would like to receive effective clause wording.