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Cleaners’ podcast enters fourth year
27th of June 2024 Article by Katja Scholz
German contract cleaning association BIV has a new content focus for its podcast, reports Katja Scholz.
Joining in the discussion on sociopolitical questions – that is the challenge for the skilled trades sector with the largest workforce in Germany. The ‘Showpiece’ podcast of the Federal Association of Contract Cleaners (BIV) made its debut in January 2021 and now has more than 30 episodes under its belt following more than three years on air.
Topics so far have been as varied as the industry itself: politics and science, trade and industry, training, digitalisation, migration and sustainability, as well as social and cultural developments.
“Since launching in 2021, we have always tried to engage with new topics, new faces and new perspectives” said Christopher Lück. “And that will be no different with our new-look podcast.”
In this fourth year of production, a new content focus will be created: specific legal issues and legislative proposals governed by both federal policy and the EU, along with key judgments of the labour courts, will form the centrepiece of this year’s podcast. Host Christopher Lück will be joined by association lawyer Andrea-Simone Johannes who will provide the legal expertise and categorisation in the discussions.
Law expertise
The inspiration for a specialised legal podcast came in fact from her: Johannes can draw on decades of expertise particularly in employment law, in addition to her experience of podcasting. She not only headed up the legal department of a well-known contract cleaning company but also established a knowledge podcast there.
“In terms of our service concept it is, in my view, absolutely crucial to use different approaches in communicating,” says Johannes. “This enables us to make relevant information accessible at all times and in all places - and hopefully in doing so present the appropriate degree of objectivity in an entertaining way.”
First episode - court decision
While the final episode of ‘Showpiece’ in 2023 still centred on a skilled craft topic - the victory of Sarah Lutz on behalf of the contract cleaning trade in the 72nd German Skilled Crafts Championships - the focus in the first episode of the new year is the recent decision by the Federal Labour Court (BAG) regarding sick leave following notice of termination of employment.
The BAG ruled that, in certain circumstances connected with termination of employment conditions, the certificate of incapacity for work or the electronic notification of sick leave is no longer sufficient proof that an employee is actually unable to work due to illness.
The BIV is actually following a trend in that podcasts are unwaveringly popular. According to digital association Bitcom, almost every German male and every other German female from the age of 16 (43 per cent) listens to podcasts at least occasionally – that corresponds to 29.7 million people.
Among the younger generation between 16 and 29, more than half (52 per cent) are podcast listeners, while among 30- to 49-year-olds, the number is exactly half (50 per cent). “We would like to make the conversation with relevant opinion leaders accessible to these interested people so that the next generation of contract cleaners can see: ‘we’re discussing it with you!’” explains Christopher Lück, BIV director of policy and communications.
The podcasts can be heard on the BIV website as well as on common platforms such as Spotify, Deezer or iTunes.
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