2024-09-26 07:30:14
What if companies have it all wrong? What if they had made a mistake by maintaining telephone service once the pandemic had passed? This question arose after reading the internal message sent on Monday, September 16, by the management of Amazon to the employees of the American group. “Looking at the last five years, we continue to believe that the benefits of all of us in the office together are significant”Levin CEO Andy Jassy.
On January 2, 2025, 300,000 employees of the giant e-commerce management services will return to the office every day; Two days of telephone calls are over. On the second day of Amazon’s announcement, it was the turn of Ubisoft, a French video game publisher, to make a partial correction by asking its employees to return to the premises three days a week.
36% of French workers use it
While it will be five years since the telephone service became widespread in France against the background of Covid-19, is it seen a step back? Not so sure. By 2023, 36% of French workers, mainly in the higher education sector, use it occasionally or regularly.
And these workers are connected to it. 45% Without going to resign, 37% would be unhappy.
Margaux, who works at a startup in the sustainable development sector in Paris, is one of them. In general, you work on the phone one to two days a week. “I can’t work for a company that blocks the telephone service, because I believe it’s an indication of inflexible management and that doesn’t change with the company, confides the thirty-year-old. On the other hand, working for a team that is fully functional would still be a problem for me, because, in my opinion, this shows the low importance given to the collective. »
In a country marked by a culture of presenteeism in companies, teleworking has long met resistance from managers. «The pandemic has proven to be uncoordinated with the collapse of productivity and the collapse of collectives. This change in dogma in terms of work organization is irreversible », assures Gilles Gateau, director general of Apec.
“Work from anywhere”
Today, teleworking takes different forms in companies. For example, in Macif, a corporate insurance company, employees have a package of seven days of telework per month that they can plan while respecting the notice period; Add to this the sixteen days per year which they can use at their convenience, knowing that they must be at least one day a week.
Within the PayFit company, which specializes in payroll management, the logic is very different: 40% of the workforce has opted for “work from anywhere”, that is to say that it is possible to work from the location you want in the countries where the company is located. But these workers also return an average of two days per month to the home premises.
“We are convinced that it is important to maintain face-to-face exchange sessions. It’s not really a full phone service, it’s a full convenience, explains Marie-Alice Tantardini, director of human resources. Each profession deserves this organization. Sales teams, for example, meet more frequently. »
A hybrid system
However, this method is common in France. After the restrictions, it is primarily a hybrid system which has developed with, as a general rule, being on site three days a week. A process that is more and more often the result of negotiations with the parties as part of the agreement.
To convince their employees to return to the workplace, some companies, especially those that have to face the stress in their labor market, have invested in improving the working environment, even if it means moving . This is the case of Equinix France, a subsidiary of one of the world’s leaders in data centers, which moves its premises from Pantin, in the Paris region, a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower.
“We have made an effort on the equipment with ergonomic desks equipped with large curved screens. We also have a great restaurant. And on Tuesday morning, it’s breakfast for everyone.”said the director general, Régis Castagne. At Equinix France, employees return to the field two to three days a week.
A method of telephone automation which is seen in other companies and which may develop in the future. “Undoubtedly we will go in a different way with not the number of telework days per week but with the quota per year or semester”, advances Benoît Serre, vice president of the National Association of Human Resources Directors, ANDRH.
It is up to the employee, in agreement with their manager, to use them wisely. “This will avoid having employees entitled to a certain number of days per week, enabling them to work without worrying about the consequences this may have on the life of the group and the company,” continued Benoît Serre.
Less transport, but risk of isolation
For employed French workers, telecommuting has many advantages. They don’t waste time on transportation, sometimes can go to a medical appointment during the day or have lunch with their children; they also appreciate the tranquility of their house or home, apart from the open spaces that are often noisy. “Employees of Macif’s telecommuting platforms also told us that they feel less pressure from their manager when working remotely”underlines Dominique Lemaire, CGT union leader within the motor union.
The telephone, depending on the way it is practiced, however can present risks: isolation of some workers, separation between professional and personal life, difficulties in maintaining an integration, etc. In several companies or management, meetings, which take place regularly during the season. days of being on the field, follow each other.
“These times, paradoxically, do not allow the collective labor to survive; with the concentration of meetings, employees do not have time to see each other to discuss informallyremarks Isabelle Mercier, national secretary responsible for labor affairs at the CFDT. However, these discussions help to resolve conflicts. »
Managers are helpless
Working on the phone can also lead to deterioration in working conditions. In fact, the employee does not have, for example, enough space at home to set up a place with a desk and computer. And companies, who want to save money, are reducing the size of their premises by introducing “Flex office”: employees no longer have assigned desks and the number of tasks is less than the number of employees . In other words, if everyone comes on the same day, there is no guarantee that everyone will have a place.
On the management side, this new hybrid organization is not always easy to manage, because it requires trust. Basically, teleworking shows the quality of the management model. “In France, we have very vertical management, comments Jean-Claude Delgenes (1), president and founder of the Technologia group, which is important in risk prevention and improving working conditions. However, teleworking requires a reform of this approach, with more trust and listening from the manager to the employee. »
(1) the author of Dare to telework!Fauves Éditions, June 2024, 160 p., €12.
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