“Here, face-to-face work is 100% required.
Since Monday, November 2, and like all of her colleagues, Fabienne (all first names have been changed at the request of witnesses), 28, employee of a large engineering company based in Hauts-de-Seine , has the feeling of living the opposite of government recommendations, which call for teleworking pushed to the maximum since the reconfinement announced Thursday, October 28 by Emmanuel Macron in the face of the worsening of the Covid-19 health crisis.
"The situation is ubiquitous," she denounces.
To work from home, the one who had to fight to telework two days out of five during the first confinement, should now fill out "an application for leave of absence for home work" if she wanted to do the same today 'hui.
A procedure "coward on the part of the management, which tries to discharge itself of its responsibility", estimates that the hierarchy does not skimp on the means to maintain the employees on the site.
The carrot and the stick
“We were told that the end-of-year bonus will be conditional on our actual presence on the site,” she continues.
In short, it's the big carrot!
In the balance, there is also the maintenance of good relations with the director and the general management.
Of course, all of this is said orally, during individual interviews.
The young woman also describes "pressure through the deputy chiefs" and "a climate of fear to keep his post" in a "box where people jump easily".
According to her, “nothing justifies the presence of employees apart from the control of the CEO, since everything is already installed to work remotely.
"
READ ALSO>
Telework: a "test week" before the government toughens its tone
Like many others in this industry, his boss stepped into the breach opened by the government, which recently cited specific cases where telework could not be increased to 100%.
An exception with blurred outlines which concerns in particular "the design offices for an engineer or a technician".
"A permanent need to police employees"
However, face-to-face work continues to apply in other sectors.
In a large French bank, for example, the method differs: "It is not really the will of a great leader, but a permanent need to police the employees", reports a Parisian employee.
At headquarters, two to three days of presence are "requested by intermediate leaders".
"This is what we have been told during meetings in recent days," confirm several employees, who have been authorized to benefit from "two days of teleworking per week".
And in most bank branches, all employees are called upon to work on site, because the internal network is not accessible from home.
A manager in Val-de-Marne acknowledges this: “We were not expressly asked in high places to have everyone come, but it is preferable to have our agents on site to be sure that everything is done.
In mid-October, agents went on strike to protest.
"It is true that customers travel because they need advice in case of difficulty, but we could take turns and be more at home, for the rest, call forwarding would suffice", underline some demonstrators.
"We feel exposed"
“There has been a war since spring already with management over teleworking, which is sometimes refused without valid reason,” explains a union official.
And then, rather than talking about telecommuting, they use the word
work from home
, so as not to have to pay bonuses.
They play with words and with the security rules related to Covid.
"
Misunderstanding.
This is the feeling that dominates in another bank employee, Leïla (
the first name has been changed
), 53 years old.
“In March and April, they had set up a rotation so that we are not too many, says, resigned, this advisor in agency near Paris.
There, nothing at all until this week, when a slight easing was authorized.
"
READ ALSO>
Containment: Total employees teleworking ... with two recommended days at the office
So with her colleagues, she wonders: perhaps they have a good reason to require face-to-face?
Is it about not favoring one category of employees to the detriment of another?
Executives, mobile and equipped with laptops, against employees, forced to be on site?
Mystery, since no clear communication is made.
“We adapt but the situation is still a little stressful, she admits.
Several positive cases have been detected in our agencies, and most of us take public transport.
We feel exposed.
"
