“There is a quest for freedom” organization of work, analyzes the architect Mathieu Lefranc, sociologist of organizations, whose cabinet Génie des lieux publishes a study* which reveals that 35% of French people will telecommute from their vacation spot this summer.
franceinfo: Who are most affected by this practice?
Matthew Lefranc: A priori the most concerned are executives, managers or fairly specialized professions. There are several different profiles: we observe a majority of people who will add days of teleworking to their holidays, which will allow them to be a little longer at the holiday destination. And then there is a proportion that is still much lower since 11% of respondents go to work remotely every day at their vacation spot. This makes it possible to go on vacation, to accompany the family, even without a vacation.
What do you think this shows?
It is above all the search for freedom of organization, which is highlighted here, that is to say the choice in one’s working hours, the choice in one’s workplace and the choice to work a little when one wants , actually. Since far from the company, far from colleagues, superiors, we can choose to work intensively in the morning then take a nap in the afternoon, and get back to it at 5 p.m. before the aperitif. So there is a quest for freedom that we already saw emerging in traditional places of work through the current developments and which, today, goes far beyond these traditional places.
Do the accommodations adapt to all this? Do you now need an office to be able to rent your apartment or guest room?
In any case, the demand is quite strong on the side of vacation workers, since the study shows that 92% of people who go to work at their vacation spot are looking for a very good wifi connection. There are also 65% who are looking for fitted workspaces, either a dedicated room or a meeting room, office equipment. And at the same time, 59% of these holiday workers will also seek additional services for childcare, for example.
*This survey was carried out among 3,402 salaried people and distributed throughout France. A survey carried out online, on the BuzzPress France proprietary panel, according to the quota method, during the period from June 17 to 22, 2022.