Teleworking is a real alternative when employee travel is restricted. The promises of telework are numerous. For companies, it is synonymous with flexibility in working methods and occupancy of premises; many companies are thinking of reducing their occupied surface and favoring the rental of flexible offices. However, teleworking also involves a certain number of psychosocial risks for employees: loneliness, cognitive overload linked to the processing of too much information, inability to reconcile private and professional life. These risks were reinforced during the two lockdowns which deeply upset the organization of companies. Managers were forced to show agility, and employees have developed a form of resilience. Discussions between the social partners therefore focus on the various challenges of teleworking (the right of employees to telework, how to implement it and the means to supervise it). In this article, we will try to determine what the challenges of teleworking may be in economic, social and environmental terms.
An Economic Issue
For employees, managers and directors, this is undoubtedly the most important issue of teleworking. Numerous studies now show that real savings have been made with the introduction of teleworking, particularly on the human resources aspect.
Indeed, teleworking generates fewer delays, absenteeism and more productivity.
The significant reduction in transportation costs, along with the significant reduction in staff meal costs, allows employees to see the real budget gap.
A Social Issue
For some employees, teleworking is more than hoped for, it represents real value in what is called well-being at work. They do not think that teleworking is a constraint, but an opportunity to restore the balance between professional and personal life. On the contrary, other employees are reluctant to work remotely, and feel that they need a professional framework around them.
It is for these two reasons that it is complicated, even more today with the health events we are going through, to force telework. While it can be an opportunity for some, it can become an, almost torture for others. To overcome these problems, many companies are now turning to the rental of atypical offices which offer a working environment that is both pleasant and professional, ideal for developing its activity. However, the layout of these workspaces must be attractive enough to encourage teleworkers to return to the site.
An Environmental Issue
Reducing or even stopping employee travel is a blessing for our planet. This has resulted in lower CO2 emissions, the same goes for companies that no longer need to run their servers when they no longer have so many workstations to run on their premises.
An important question of the challenges of teleworking nevertheless remains unanswered: that of maintaining teleworking. For the US tech giants, the consensus seems to be on a hybrid model. Indeed, Uber and Microsoft have already announced the reopening of certain offices while allowing their employees to still work at home. Google has indicated that it is studying the implementation of a “flexible work week” with three days at the office and the rest at home. As for Facebook, it could allow half of its employees to telecommute 100% in the coming years. At Twitter, all employees should even be able to work remotely.