Digitalisation of the working environment offers new opportunities for better reconciling our professional and personal lives. In France, Société Générale has experimented with teleworking since 2013. So it is logical for it to be a pioneer in Monaco, now that the law on teleworking, published in July 2016, provides for its possible implementation for up to two thirds of an employee’s weekly working hours on the conclusion of a Monegasque employment contract or during its performance.
Meet Thierry Garde, CEO of Société Générale Private Banking Monaco.
Is Société Générale at the forefront of social innovation?
We are the first to implement teleworking in the banking and finance sector in Monaco because we have a tradition of modernity and innovation. Société Générale considers its employees’ health, well-being and more broadly quality of working life a lever for effectiveness and sustainable performance. Since 2013, teleworking has been widespread in our group. Over 4000 employees now benefit from it, with a 91% satisfaction rate. Teleworking allows us to act on three pillars of sustainable development: social, economy and environment. Giving employees the chance to work from home results in fewer commuter journeys and thus in reduced CO2 emissions.
In practical terms, how has teleworking been implemented in Monaco?
First we ran an internal satisfaction survey, which confirmed that our employees were in favour of a different way of working. We worked on new equipment for our employees: phones, laptops, webcams. We installed suitable IT connections and made sure our employees could do their work in good conditions at home.
We offered teleworking to those employees mainly responsible for support functions: HR, communication, legal, lending etc. - departments which do not need to receive customers or perform transactions.
This involves 10 departments with 15% of the workforce: 35 people in ‘wave 1’, with a second wave scheduled in six months so that we can learn the lessons of the first. We offered one teleworking day per week on a voluntary basis, and the option to stop the process on the initiative of the employee or the management.
At the contractual level, does it cause changes?
In this regard I would like to emphasise the great help of Mrs Sophie Vincent, Deputy Director of the Department of Employment and Employment Office head. We have benefited from her valuable advice on technical constraints, workstation portability and employment contract changes.
Indeed, the start of teleworking is firstly a direct agreement between the employer and employee, effected via an individual contract. While, in the event of hiring, teleworking performance conditions are stipulated in writing within the employment contract, for establishment while an employment contract is running, they are the subject of a written addendum to the employment contract.
Your initial analysis after implementation?
Teleworking has been adopted depending on the departments, trust in our employees and their ability to work independently. Today there are solely beneficial effects for the employer and employees. We have had no IT bugs, our internal meetings now conducted via video-conference have gone very smoothly, and the confidentiality measures have been met. The hours are the same as in the workplace. All the employees offered this step have accepted it and the satisfaction rate is 100%. We feel that it strengthens our employees’ commitment. We are giving ourselves a six month observation period before extending this step to 25% of the workforce.
