According to a British research organization that conducted an international survey, employees living in Paris telework less than those in New York, Toronto, Sydney, London and Singapore.
Before the Covid pandemic, only 5% of employees in France worked remotely at least one day a week. This figure suddenly rose to 40% at the height of the health crisis. But what about today?
Although working from home has gained many followers, contradictory studies on its beneficial effects on the economy and employee well-being have gradually tempered this enthusiasm within companies. Teleworking has thus been relegated to the background in favor of presenteeism, a practice particularly rooted in France.
Presenteeism returning to pre-Covid level
Since the end of the pandemic, the return to the office has been widely encouraged, even imposed by companies. This return to face-to-face work is justified by better supervision of work, facilitation of teamwork and the profitability of office spaces, which are particularly expensive in large cities. However, this more or less gradual return to the office has not been done in the same way whether you live in Paris, New York or London.
How to organize yourself when working remotely?
According to a study by the Centre for Cities published in September 2024, Parisian employees spend more time at their workplaces than their counterparts in other major cities. While the office attendance rate in Toronto and London is 2.7 days per week, Paris has an attendance rate almost identical to its pre-pandemic level, with 3.5 days (compared to 4 days previously). Even New York’s financial district struggles to compete, with an average of 3.1 days.
Transport costs too high for employees
In addition to management culture, the study explains that travel costs are a major factor in explaining this difference. Indeed, 40% of London employees, who commute to the office less than three days a week on average, cite savings on transport as a main reason for their preference for teleworking.
This situation accentuates generational differences: young people, more numerous to live in city centres, go more willingly to the office, unlike seniors who, increasingly, settle in the countryside close to the English capital.
In light of this, the think tank that conducted the study suggests that British companies focus less on office renovations and more on covering transport costs, as is legally required in France.
In France, teleworking could decline further. In the coming months, most of the agreements negotiated by unions in 2020 and 2021, in the midst of the health crisis, will expire and be renegotiated. An interesting test for the evolution of the presenteeism culture in French companies.
