Teleworking: Elisabeth Borne warns recalcitrant employers that they are exposing themselves to sanctions

"It's okay, it seems very empty": the Minister of Labor, Elisabeth Borne, visited several companies on Friday to see if they actually resort to teleworking to the "maximum" in the face of Covid-19, warning employers who do not would have "not understood" that they are exposing themselves to sanctions.

After a visit to the BNP Paribas headquarters in the Opera district, then to the Engie and Total offices at La Défense, the Minister insisted during a press briefing on the "essential" nature of teleworking for the activities which it requires. allow, given the "very brutal" Covid-19 epidemic.

For a week, the new version of the national protocol in companies provides that "100% of teleworkable tasks must be teleworked", she recalled, rules which seem to be applied with less enthusiasm since the new confinement.

"I spent my week calling business leaders and HRDs to tell them that even if today - and this is what comes up a lot - the majority of employees do not want to go back to 100% teleworking, it must be done ", added the minister, pleading that it is necessary to find" the right balance "between continuing economic activity and" breaking the dynamics of the epidemic ".

"It was important during this week to raise awareness" and then "if ever certain companies did not understand, we will be in our role to advise, to support, but also to control and if that does not go well, to put in place. remains and to have sanctions, ”said the minister.

"We first trust" social dialogue and "if some do not understand, we will have to impose sanctions," she insisted.

At the headquarters of BNP Paribas, in the morning, the minister visited a huge open-space almost empty, the management indicating to have "never made return all the employees" since the first wave. In a bank branch, "essential service" according to management, 6 out of 9 employees were on the other hand present, with a strict health protocol.

The minister then went to Engie's headquarters, normally welcoming 4.000 people. They were only 80 Friday, or 2%, against about "2.000 before the second confinement", according to the company. She explained that she had chosen to leave "valves" for people with personal reasons to come, because "too alone or in apartments that are too small", or having activities requiring to be on site (computer repair, service mail...).

Finally, at Total, management reported 8% of people present on Friday in the group's 4 sites in the business district, and 20% on average over the week.

The ministry has ordered a survey to measure the real state of recourse to teleworking, expected in principle at the beginning of next week.