Et is cool in Frankfurt’s bank towers. Because of the energy crisis, many institutes only heat up to 19 degrees. The Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen (Helaba) and the KfW resort to unusual means to ensure that the employees still feel comfortable. They hand out blankets or vests.
The latter is the case at Helaba. Lined vests have been distributed at various Landesbank locations since this week, as a spokesman confirmed. Despite the lower temperatures, the bank wants to ensure pleasant working conditions. The demand for the vests is very high.
The campaign at Helaba had been planned well in advance. We were invited to a fitting before Christmas. Employees were asked to find a suitable size. Helaba then ordered the vests for all colleagues who wanted them. The vests at the Landesbank are free, as are the blankets that the KfW subsidiary Ipex-Bank has distributed to around 800 colleagues in Frankfurt, as a spokeswoman said there. The “fleece blankets made sustainably from recycled plastic” were distributed to the workforce in January.
The Ipex bank also referred to the temperature in the offices and explained that due to the official requirements for securing the energy supply – as in other public buildings – the rooms of the state KfW are only heated to a maximum of 19 degrees. The lower temperatures in the offices are not the only measure that Frankfurt banks are trying to save energy with. Some have disabled escalators, turned off outside lights or turned off hot water in the restrooms.