French employers ignore homeworking

Although France’s president Emmanuel Macron said that working from home was to be “generalised”, where possible, during the country’s second lockdown, many employers have been requiring staff to come into to work.

A survey for the labour ministry in November found 15% of companies categorically rejected the idea of working from home. A further 27% accepted the principle while still requiring their employees to come in.

Currently, little can be done through the courts or labour inspectorate to force employers to comply with the working from home obligation as it is not legally binding.

However, pressure can produce results. Oil company Total was obliged to withdraw a recommendation to employees to come in two days a week after the unions accused it of “distorting the government rules”.