Telecommuting on Friday disrupts the Ile-de-France network

Will companies put the kibosh on the massive use of teleworking on Fridays? The director of Transilien, Sylvie Charles, called on Thursday to “better smooth”, over the week, home-to-work journeys while Fridays remain much less busy days in transport in Île-de-France, unlike Tuesdays .

If the use of public transport in the Ile-de-France region, and in particular “mass transit” (RER, trains, metro, etc.), fluctuates between 80 and 85% of its 2019 level, some days are much more saturated than others in reason for employees’ choice of teleworking days.

“The interest is to smooth better”

“There is a difference of 18% between Tuesday – the busiest day – and Friday in mass transit”, indicated Ms. Charles, during the presentation of a study carried out in the spring in partnership with the Paris Institute. Region, the regional planning agency. “This reduces the advantages that can be obtained from teleworking with less overloaded transport, for example”; she indicated.

“Such a differential is not good for anyone and the interest is to smooth better because, as soon as there is an overload, there is a risk of jostling, the drivers cannot respect the parking time and, as a result snowball, the transport system is less efficient”; insisted Sylvie Charles.

Telecommuting on Friday makes weekends easier

In Île-de-France, 68% of jobs are concentrated in 6% of the territory, “so you need transport to work”. According to the study, employees who can choose to telecommute on Fridays because “it’s more relaxing not to have to travel on the last day of the week”, “it allows them to carry out household chores before the weekend or “it makes it easier or easier to leave for the weekend”.

For Sylvie Charles and Nicolas Bauquet, general manager of the Paris Region Institute, employees must be encouraged to come to the office on Fridays “to avoid overcrowding” of transport on certain days.

2.4 days of teleworking per week

According to a survey conducted by BVA, while a quarter of employees say that nothing would bring them to their workplace on Friday, a third would be ready if there are “more colleagues or face-to-face meetings on Friday “. The study also suggests the organization of convivial events.

In Île-de-France, 43% of working people telecommute an average of 2.4 days a week. This proportion rises to 55% for regular Transilien users.