BNP Paribas : Charter on telework in the BNP Paribas Group

On 6 April 2022, the BNP Paribas banking group published a European Charter on Teleworking, which was signed in November 2021 with its European Works Council and the European trade-union federations UNI Europa and FECEC, (see press release).
This text provides the group with “a common framework” in Europe for developing and strengthening teleworking (excluding crisis periods, such as the Covid-19 pandemic) (see Telework). It covers 22 countries and 132,000 employees. The charter lays down a number of general principles, such as a maximum rate of 50% of working time to be spent remotely, combined with a minimum of one day of on-site presence per week.
The text establishes the principles of double volunteering (the manager must also agree, i.e. there is no right to telework) and permanent reversibility, at the initiative of the employee or the manager.
The place where teleworking is carried on must be either the employee’s principal place of residence or “another private, temporary or permanent location in the country”, within a range that allows the employee to reach the work site in a half-day, if necessary. This place must be suitable for remote work (safety, ergonomics, peace and quiet, secure internet connections, etc.) and for security reasons, cannot be “an external third-party location”, such as a coworking space.
“Cross-border” teleworkers are not excluded from the arrangements, but a study will be conducted to assess their situation in light of existing regulations and their healthcare cover. The parties envisage the granting of at least one form of compensation from among four solutions: financial compensation, food vouchers, access to preferential rates offered by Internet access providers or to offers negotiated by the company with “external partners”.
(Article published in IR Note 184 – 20 April 2022)