The Ministry of Labor said, on Thursday, that the government does not plan at this stage to strengthen the rules for remote work to confront the fifth wave of the Covid-19 epidemic. “We do not plan today to strengthen the rules for remote work,” the ministry said, considering that “the situation is not the same as it was last spring,” with “today 90% of adults have been vaccinated.” The ministry also highlights the “strict health protocol applied in companies, with mask wearing mandatory in all closed and shared workplaces as well as respect for barrier gestures.”

In an interview with Opinion.fr, the Minister of Labor, Elizabeth Bourne, spoke on Thursday of a “requiring” protocol, denouncing “some relaxation in recent months, particularly with regard to mask wearing”. She stressed that “everyone must get back on the right track,” adding that labor inspection controls will be strengthened with regard to compliance with the protocol.

The protocol has been modified several times

Since September, this reference document to ensure the health and safety of employees and monitor economic activity in the face of Covid-19 no longer provides a minimum level of remote work. It states that “employers must determine, within the framework of local social dialogue, the methods of resorting” to remote work. After being amended several times, the protocol in particular mandated remote work for several months as a rule from October 2020 stating that it should be “increased to 100% for employees who can perform all their tasks remotely”.

According to the latest data from the Directorate of Research, Studies and Statistics (Dares), 21% of employees were working remotely for at least one day during the month of September. Only 8% of telecommuting employees worked remotely every day of the week (i.e. 2% of all employees). Companies that require at least one day of remote work per week now account for only 10% of employees (up from 19% at the end of August).