Rules and obligations regarding remote work in France

The health crisis had a major impact on how companies in France organize work. Since 2020, the hybrid work model—which blends on-site presence with remote work—has rapidly gained momentum.

As a result, many company offices have been sold, left vacant, or entirely redesigned in favor of a more flexible approach that mixes remote days with time spent on-site or in third places.

Remote work has therefore grown significantly in recent years. In some organizations, it became mandatory due to the national COVID-19 workplace protocols.

For many businesses, remote work has now been fully adopted and is becoming a sustainable and high-performing model that enhances both organizational efficiency and team productivity.

Organizations are seeing several key benefits:

Less stress for employees, who spend less time commuting.

Improved productivity, both at the individual and project level.

Skills development, as some employees dedicate time to side projects.

Lower stress for leadership, thanks to cost savings on office space.

In short: remote work is thriving.

As BFM TV reported in December 2021, 38% of jobs in France are now eligible for remote work.

At the start of 2022, the French government mandated a minimum of three remote working days per week for eligible roles, reinforcing the link between remote work and the pandemic. This is unfortunate—because when properly managed, this model offers real benefits for team efficiency, organization, and overall productivity.

According to a study by ABBYY.com, a staggering one-third of French remote workers are considering changing jobs due to inefficient internal processes.

It’s clear that remote work is now a key factor in attracting new talent.

To support you in adopting and managing this hybrid work model, here is an overview of the main rules and obligations you need to be aware of.

What Are the Rules and Obligations Around Remote Work (in France)?

First, there is no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to remote work. However, new frameworks and agreements are emerging, particularly under the scope of national interprofessional agreements (ANI).

An ANI is a national agreement negotiated and signed by trade unions and employer organizations. It applies across all industries and typically addresses working conditions and employee rights. For example, the ANI of January 11, 2013 required all employers to offer collective health coverage to employees by January 1, 2016.

1. Remote Work: A Company Agreement

Remote work is part of a company’s work culture.

Some organizations have embraced it for years.

Others are just beginning.

And some still resist the shift.

When remote work is broadly implemented, it is generally formalized through a company-wide agreement. It can also be defined at the team level, where employees collectively establish their own rules and expectations around remote work.

Common questions companies face include:

What is the ideal balance between remote and on-site work?

Are remote workdays assigned by management or chosen by employees?

Is a stipend provided to cover home office expenses?

Can employees work remotely from a secondary residence?

To support this transition, new laws have been introduced in France, enabling companies to offer tax-exempt flat-rate allowances to employees for remote work expenses—provided certain caps are not exceeded.

The BeeMyFlex app enables companies to create and manage agreements at every level—organization-wide, team-based, or individual. Remote work policies are applied automatically within the platform.

It’s also possible to define a monthly allowance to ensure that remote work compensation is handled consistently.

2. Managing Remote Work Effectively

Successful remote work requires proactive management and support for both managers and employees.

But what does good remote work management really involve?

Having the right tools to communicate and stay connected across teams.

Tools to track who is on-site or remote, enabling better team coordination.

Shared visibility into each team member’s status (on-site, remote, traveling, or absent).

Solutions to help managers support and supervise their teams remotely.

Access to concrete indicators to help identify psychosocial risks (PSRs).

This last point has become especially important since the pandemic. Companies must now be able to identify early signs of stress or burnout, regardless of how resilient an employee may appear. These issues, if left unchecked, can lead to increased absenteeism, illness, and disengagement.

Remote work can intensify these risks, which is why HR teams and managers must remain vigilant and engaged in ongoing monitoring and support.

3. What Are the Impacts of Remote Work on Companies?

The widespread adoption of remote work also creates a unique opportunity to rethink how workspaces are designed and used.

By shifting away from fixed desks and toward flexible seating, companies can optimize office space utilization. Personal items like pens, post-its, and photos are replaced by more open and welcoming collaboration zones—this is the era of the flex office.

But this change introduces new challenges:

How can organizations effectively manage a flex office model?

How can employees gain visibility into available workspaces?

How can companies ensure employees will find a place to sit when they come to the office?

Most importantly: how can they ensure the flex office experience is a success?

Since 2020, work organization has become a top priority for companies, managers, and employees alike.

That’s why we created BeeMyFlex: to give all employees the visibility and tools they need for a well-structured, reliable, and efficient work environment. We'll explore this more in a follow-up article soon.

So, do you have the right tools to manage your hybrid workforce effectively?