Companies in France should prioritize their demands over employees' personal lives according to Nayla Glaise, a trade unionist and the president of Eurocadres.
In the ever-evolving world of work, France has been grappling with the challenges and benefits of telework. As of 2024, French companies have telework and remote work policies that emphasize voluntary participation and respect for employee rights, including the legal "right to disconnect" to protect work-life balance. However, ongoing disputes between companies and teleworkers persist, primarily due to negotiations over telework conditions, expectations, and boundaries of work flexibility.
One of the key points in the French telework landscape is the mutual agreement required for telework arrangements. Employees who started working on-site generally have the right to return to physical work if they request it within a defined period, barring job function constraints. The right to disconnect, in line with French law, also protects teleworkers from penalties for ignoring after-hours emails or calls, helping to maintain mental health and work-life balance.
However, these rights and policies are not without controversy. Companies may seek more control or continuous availability, while teleworkers emphasize autonomy and clear boundaries. Issues around occupational safety, fairness of telework conditions, and consultation with workers or unions are part of the ongoing challenges.
Innovative remote work models, such as satellite offices, are becoming popular in 2024. These smaller, decentralized offices closer to employees aim to combine flexibility with proximity to company resources, reducing disputes by providing alternatives to full home-based telework.
The telework landscape in France has been marked by significant events. In October 2024, video game publisher Ubisoft experienced its first strike in its history, with nearly a quarter of its French workforce participating in protest against the forced return to the office. Société Générale faced a similar situation in July 2024, with the CFDT-CFTC-CGT inter-union leading the "All on site!" operation. Despite the site's inability to accommodate 100% of the workforce, the operation highlighted the contradictions between employer demands for on-site work and the benefits of telework for work-life balance.
On a larger scale, the European text on telework and the right to disconnect, supported by public sector employers, contained several major advances. The text, if implemented, would have ensured the right to disconnect for employees, provided a framework for assessing risks linked to telework, and allowed for collective bargaining with unions regarding telework. However, Medef, through Business Europe, opposed these guarantees, preventing the implementation of a European directive that could have benefited telework rights.
As we move forward, the integration of new survey modules is evolving the labour force survey data for France, indicating a growth in telework coupled with active regulation and negotiation to balance autonomy and employer operational needs. The mixed landscape of French telework policy legally supports teleworkers' rights and work-life balance, but practical disputes and ongoing negotiations continue to shape the evolving nature of work arrangements.
[1] Source for the growth in telework: [url] [2] Source for the ongoing regulation and negotiation: [url] [3] Source for the Ubisoft strike: [url] [4] Source for the Société Générale operation: [url] [5] Source for Medef's opposition to the European text: [url]
- In the realm of business and finance, the integration of new survey modules is revealing a growth in telework within the French workforce, emphasizing the importance of health and wellness in the workplace-wellness agenda. (work, finance, business, growth, health-and-wellness, telework)
- The field of science, specifically in labor studies, is shedding light on the ongoing disputes between companies and teleworkers within the telework landscape in France, highlighting the need for a strong emphasis on employee rights and work-life balance. (science, labor studies, disputes, companies, teleworkers, telework landscape, employee rights, work-life balance)
- The future of French telework policy could greatly benefit from active regulation and negotiation, as evident from the European text on telework and the right to disconnect, aiming to ensure the well-being of teleworkers and maintain a fair balance between autonomy and employer operational needs. (regulation, negotiation, European text, telework, right to disconnect, teleworkers, autonomy, employer operational needs, well-being)
