At the edge of the swimming pool, in a hotel overlooking the bay of Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, west of Reunion, Jérémy, Bérénice, Maxime, Emma, Jean-Baptiste and Vanessa scrutinize their computer screens. The atmosphere is studious, just a stone’s throw from vacationers enjoying an aquagym class. Every week, these teleworkers meet in a public place to work together and break the isolation, via a group they created on social networks called “Bann coworkers”.
All have chosen to settle in Reunion, but most continue to work for companies based in France. Jean-Baptiste Parizot, IT project manager, arrived in Saint-Denis at the beginning of 2021. “My partner and I had this project in mind for several years. We wanted to settle here for the quality of life, to leave Paris to raise our son, and then the small time difference (2 to 3 hours) made things easier for me,” specifies the professional who has kept his main client in Paris. “Just after the Covid-19 crisis, when we hadn’t seen each other for several months, my client didn’t see any problem with me working from Reunion Island,” he specifies.
