It can be an old Clic-Clac or a brand new convertible. With a lifelong friend or a colleague in accounting. For some long-distance workers, squatting on a side table has become part of their daily routine.
“I have between three and five possible canapés, rather well dispatched in Paris, fairly central”, lists Caroline (some witnesses requested anonymity), communications director of a publishing house, who has been going back and forth between her home in Chartres and the office since the start of her career. For this “commuter”, the possibility of working from home, which was in the culture of his company when he was hired six years ago, was a relief. Accustomed to train galleys, she already had her duvet cover on the sofa of certain colleagues and friends, “drop-off points in an emergency, if necessary [l’]host off the cuff ».
His work, focused on events (awards, launch parties, day trips) regularly requires him to be in Paris early in the morning or late in the evening. “It’s possible to come back late, but not necessarily profitable in terms of fatigue and efficiency. » Between one and four times a month depending on the peaks of activity, Caroline therefore uses her (well supplied) network of sofas. Including her favorite, that of a former colleague with whom she has kept very good ties. “I’m a bit part of family life: I’m so involved in their daily lives when I’m with them that their children call me tata! »
Nearly half of the Ile-de-France working population now telework on a regular basis (Mobile Lives/ObSoCo Forum, January 2022). By reducing the exhausting daily journeys, it opens up the possibility of substantially extending the distance between home and work: 9% of these teleworkers live outside Ile-de-France, mainly in the bordering regions (Hauts-de-France, Normandy, Centre-Val de Loire). And, among them, 44% sleep outside their main residence when they go to their place of work.
“I know the right closet for my coat. I create my own rituals to integrate into the group, depending on where I sleep” – Caroline, communication director of a publishing house living in Chartres
These “telemigrators” have the option of going to a hotel, renting a room or a studio, or even buying a pied-à-terre. Solutions that are often far too expensive, particularly in Paris and in the big cities. The college girlfriend’s sofa bed is free.
You have 70.29% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.