Since January 1, the 250 employees of Mutuelles du Soleil in the south of France can take their Monday, Wednesday or Friday. This new organization is possible thanks to teleworking which eliminates travel time.
More and more companies are opting for a 35-hour week, now spread over four days. Successfully tested in the United Kingdom, but also in Spain, the government is currently testing the device with Urssaf agents in Picardy. In the south of France, the 250 employees of the Mutuelles du Soleil have been there since January 1.
>> Why is the four-day week gaining ground in Europe?
“We come back with a rested head, we attack work with great motivation compared to the five-day week”, rejoices Sofiane Berkani, the digital manager at the company’s headquarters in Marseille. And to slip: “I don’t see myself going back today.”
“No delay found” in the company’s projects
Employees have the choice of taking their Monday, Wednesday or Friday. In return, the days worked are longer, by around an hour and a half. We shorten the lunch breaks, we start earlier, or we finish later. All this is possible thanks to teleworking which eliminates travel time. “Today, we have not seen any delays on the projects, says Thierry Ruas, Service Manager. We found an organization, with always someone since we have a permanence on these three rotating days. For the moment, no red zone!”
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The four-day week was developed with the unions, before a referendum in which 80% of employees said yes. “We had people who weren’t very warm at the start and who find it very good, notes Véronique Ruiz, CFE-CGC delegates. Psychologically, it brings a lot of things because we can make appointments without running in the evening, do our shopping without going to crowded stores on Saturdays and it allows us to recharge our batteries and arrive with much less fatigue. We are more operational!”
“With the pandemic, many have understood that there is a finitude to life, and want to take advantage of their time.”
Claude Leblois, general manager of the Mutuelles du Soleilon franceinfo
The company has even gained in attractiveness on the job market. “It had been a very long time since our recruitment unit had received any phone calls, analyzes Claude Leblois, the general manager of the Mutuelles du Soleil. Out of eleven positions that we have not been able to find for two years, there have been eight people in two months and we have just recruited two new ones. It’s a good example that it’s something that attracts people. Society has changed, we are no longer in the 1980s at all with the ‘golden boys’ and the ‘working girls’ who want money and glitter, people want life time.”
The success of the four-day week in a company in Marseille: report by Hugo Charpentier
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