Deconfinement in France: a gradual resumption of activity, including a lot of telework

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Monday, May 11, it will be the first day of deconfinement in France, except in Mayotte, overseas department where the spread of the virus is still considered too strong. Schools, transport, shops ... After a month and a half of stopped or reduced activity, companies can also resume their activities, favoring teleworking.

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400,000 companies, 875,000 employees will return to work Monday, May 11, according to the Ministry of the Economy. But teleworking, which developed enormously during the confinement period, remains the option recommended by the authorities, and which must be favored by companies. The government has even designed a guide to help managers and employees who were not used to finding their way.

Bars and restaurants still closed

And for all those who will return physically to their workplace, it is the employer who has the obligation to organize their protection, according to the specifics of each activity, and with imperatives that have now become classic: distancing, masks or hydro-alcoholic gel ...

With the exception of bars and restaurants, shops will also reopen, but again, provided that the health protection of customers and employees can be ensured. Stores that are too small, where distance is impossible, or shopping centers larger than 40,000 square meters, which gather too many people, will therefore not be able to reopen.

► Also read: Deconfinement in France: what will Paris look like on May 11?

Government Releases Telework Guide

Teleworking is one of the lessons of containment and one of the challenges of deconfinement which begins Monday, May 11. The government has therefore just produced a guide to "  help businesses and employees  " to organize this way of working while staying at home.

This guide is a series of answers to very concrete questions: in teleworking, do I have to respect schedules? Am I entitled to rest times and disconnection moments? If my employer cannot provide me with access to my emails and my professional data, can he refuse me teleworking? Am I covered in the event of an accident at home?

Unions not in favor of this guide

For the answers that employees and their employers expect, the company has the right to impose this, without amendment to the contract. It determines the proportion of work that can be performed remotely during the week. She is not required to compensate her employee for the costs related to this work at home, but she must provide him with a computer if he does not wish to use his own equipment. The employer can refuse the use of telework, if the conditions, in particular security (VPN, access to e-mails), are not met.

Unions criticize the publication of this guide because they want to keep control and campaign for the organization of an inter-professional negotiation on telework. Teleworking which today concerns 5 million employees. Three-quarters of them want to continue working this way, the government also to "  desaturate transport  ", especially in the Paris region.

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• Coronavirus
• France
• Confinement

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