Telecommuting, the new horizon for the company?

Audio 04:08

By: Dominique Baillard Follow

Despite the ongoing deconfinement many of us continue to work from home. For security reasons but also by choice. Is teleworking becoming the new business standard?

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The surveys carried out in France are unanimous: the employees support this experience, and their employers too. The latter were the most reluctant with regard to this organization of work, and finally they discovered that the company continued to run, without a noticeable drop in productivity; employees even say they are more concentrated, more efficient. The car manufacturer PSA has therefore decided to make it the rule from now on for all jobs not related to production. Because of course telework is not universal. In France only one in three jobs is potentially concerned. It is in American tech that the switch to home is the most advanced. Employees at Twitter are now free to stay at home all year round. A wish that remains a minority. Most prefer to mix office and telework days.

Because working at home sometimes proves exhausting for employees

Some work too much, fail to drop out. Others are disturbed by their children. And then there are those who suffer from isolation. A feeling very shared among the youngest. Meetings at the coffee machine end up missing but also the opportunities to be recognized by his hierarchy and to evolve within the company. Ensuring the well-being of employees away from the office is the new challenge faced by HRDs and employee representatives. The other challenge for employers is to maintain an environment conducive to innovation. Not easy to cultivate an atmosphere favoring creativity with atomized staff.

Telework could also upset the global job map in the future

The scenario feared by employees is competition from graduates living in emerging countries. In the medium term, telework could lead to the silent relocation of white-collar workers. It is a risk. But in the immediate future, it is first experienced by the employee as an opportunity to move where he wishes to live. A clear trend in California, where tech workers dream of moving to states where housing is more affordable. In the United States, telework could accelerate the migration of coastal cities inland. Should the internet giants who have invested in prestigious seats in city centers to attract the best talent need to rethink their location? Some companies domiciled in the heart of New York, in Manhattan, have already announced that they are terminating their lease. To take into account telework but also to save money. The offices will not necessarily disappear, but they may be moved. To redeploy closer to employees, in the suburbs for example, where real estate is cheaper. Above all, they will be redesigned to take account of new standards of social distancing. A prospect which there too could encourage teleworking.

IN SHORT

In France, the Renault group plans to close 4 factories . The automaker is preparing a savings plan of 2 billion euros which, according to the Canard Enchainé , involves the closure of 4 sites including that of Flins where the electric Zoé is manufactured , it would not be definitively closed but affected to another activity.

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