People wearing protective face masks walk at the financial and business district of La Defense in Nanterre as France reinforces mask-wearing in public places as part of effrots to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus disease across France, September 1, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
“The message from management to say ‘we’re putting in place remote working but we must protect revenues’,” said Gregory Lewandowski, a Thales delegate at the CGT. “You’re left feeling that revenues were more important than health.” French firms had been quicker than some European peers in the summer to recall employees to the office after a first COVID-19 confinement. An AlphaWise survey for Morgan Stanley showed that by late July 83% of office staff in France were back at the workplace, compared with 34% in Britain.
Even so, a poll between Nov. 12-17 by Deskeo, France’s biggest operator of flexible office space, showed 77% of respondents saying their employer had required them to be in the office everyday, or several days a week.“You cannot have such a strong rebound in the virus without infection at the workplace,” said epidemiologist Martin Blachier.
Professional white collar jornolos writing from their home suck their teeth as other preoccupations got the job done they needed to.