The 2024 Olympic Games: a catalyst for hybrid work

The year 2024 is now well under way and the Olympic and Paralympic Games are fast approaching. Between July 26 and August 11, then from August 28 to September 8, roads and public transport will be very busy. Indeed, more than 15.9 million visitors are expected over the period according to an estimate by the Paris Tourism Office.

Teleworking: obligation or recommendation?

Paris City Hall encourages Parisians and Ile-de-France residents to work remotely. However, we must not forget articles L. 1222-9 and following of the Labor Code. Indeed, teleworking “cannot be imposed, neither by the employee, nor by the employer”.

The only exception to this rule applies to teleworking required by the employer in the event of “exceptional circumstances” such as an epidemic. Since the Olympic Games are not considered as such from a legal point of view, remote work cannot be forced.

Employees will therefore have to request authorization from their organization. In addition, there is no obligation for managers to accept these remote work requests. However, if they refuse such a request, they will be obliged to give reasons for their decision.

Why is the issue of hybrid work becoming central?

Teleworking is presented as an opportunity at the service of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This mode of work should make it possible, in particular according to the Government, to ease traffic congestion.

In addition, by adopting a hybrid way of working, organizations and employees will meet the objectives of the event: “innovation” and “sustainability”.

Indeed, working remotely reduces traffic jams and pollution. The first challenge for the organizers concerns transport and traffic in the Paris region. Pollution and CO2 emissions must be reduced at all costs. Teleworking therefore appears to be a logical solution to this problem.

By working from home, employees should consume more local products and services. They will then be called upon to support small businesses and the local economy. This responds to the concern of some restaurant owners about the implementation of widespread teleworking in certain businesses.

Indeed, the high number of visitors expected suggests that summer will be profitable for catering trades. In reality, it's not as easy as it seems.

However, the tests must take place in business districts. It is in this area that the majority of the offices of workers in the tertiary sector are located. The premises will therefore be sparsely occupied, as the area is expected to be difficult to access.

What may appear to be a shortfall for restaurant owners and businesses in the districts concerned is ultimately not one. Indeed, tourists and visitors will be able to largely make up for the absence of employees who have remained teleworking.

For their part, employees working remotely will be able to consume services and products close to home. Everyone will therefore be a winner - from an economic point of view - and the Games will be able to take place without a hitch. The streamlining of public transport will not hinder the activity of Parisian restaurateurs and retailers.

Changing the means of transport, a solution to avoid Full remote

Most roads will be closed, making public transport essential. However, between the usual users and the visitors expected at the Games, they are likely to be crowded.

Parisians and Ile-de-France residents will therefore encounter certain difficulties when it comes to going to the office during this period. Setting up a hybrid way of working is a solution. The government is proposing another: to travel “differently.” In fact, to impose Full remote over the entire duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games seems illusory.

Thus, residents could prefer walking for “short trips” or cycling on days when they want to work in person. Indeed, the perimeters set up by the authorities around the competition sites can be crossed on foot or by bike.

However, the use of bicycles as a mode of transport between home and work is still marginal. 65% of employees surveyed at the beginning of 2023 said they used their personal car to get to their workplace (Harris Interactive survey). Only 10% reported using their personal bike.

For self-service bikes, this figure falls to 2%. However, as Paris is likely to be a pedestrian zone during the Games, the number of cyclists should greatly increase.

On the other hand, some people in Île-de-France have no choice but to use public transport. This is all the more so as 185 km of tracks in the Paris region will be reserved for accredited persons, transport and emergency services.

The government site has provided a “simulator” so that everyone can prepare for the crowds at the station. Indeed, it is necessary to warn users who will want to use the RER and the metro during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

This tool shows how long you will have to wait for a given day and time. For example, on Monday 29/07, you will have to wait 15 minutes to access the platform at Miromesnil station (lines 9 and 13). It will therefore be necessary to remain patient, especially between 7 am and 9 am and then between 5 pm and 8 pm.

Thus, the government is asking employees to get closer to their employer. He invites them to “choose staggered hours” or to “limit travel” if the activity allows it. Businesses could establish a way of working that is on the one hand hybrid, and on the other hand asynchronous.

Anticipate and make the necessary logistical adjustments for organizations and employees

Like the organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is imperative that businesses think ahead. Namely that “more than 60% of employees work in the tertiary sector” in Ile-de-France specifies the government website. This field is particularly compatible with teleworking. Thus, the implementation of hybrid work and the adoption of the various tools should go smoothly.

Office activities benefit from the flexibility offered by online communication and hybrid work management tools. In addition, “45% of working people in France telework regularly with 2.1 teleworking days per week in 2023” (government website).

Businesses that have not yet switched to hybrid work must be allowed to implement and optimize it. These Games are an opportunity for organizations in Île-de-France and Paris to meet the challenges of flexibility.

Optimize the implementation of hybrid work by integrating the right tools now

The important thing before implementing hybrid work is to ensure that it is built on a solid foundation. Thus, it is necessary to ensure the inclusion of all. It is therefore a question of maintaining cohesion in a context where not all employees are in the office. Indeed, with the impracticability of capital during the Games, many employees will work remotely.

However, employees will not necessarily all be working from home at the same time. This difference in schedule can generate organizational difficulties, and some workers may find themselves isolated and therefore less involved.

It is therefore essential to organize the implementation of hybrid work and, to do so, to adopt the right tools. Indeed, working in hybrid mode is inseparable from technology. It is therefore necessary to use the right digital tools so that teams coordinate and that no one is left behind. Businesses that have already implemented agile methods would be up to 2.7 times more efficient (The Agile Performer Index).

Discover m-work to organize hybrid work

Making this imposed flexibility a performance driver

Flexibility is synonymous with performance. The implementation of a hybrid mode may seem forced by the arrival of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. However, this new way of working is not about to run out of steam.

Investing now in the right tools will allow organizations and their employees to enter the Games period with confidence. Thus, best practices will already be integrated by the start of the school year in September 2024.

Indeed, for flexibility to be a vector of performance, it is also necessary to use appropriate technology. Using the right tools makes it possible to optimize workspaces and team synchronization. In addition, flexibility allows employees to feel more committed (45%) and more autonomous (39%) (JLL survey).

So, like athletes, companies will also have to cope and be at the level for the start of the competition!