Telework: An Essential Organizational Innovation, or an Indispensable Compensation Tool?

Abstract

Since the health crisis, hybrid working (a mix of on-site and remote working) has become a permanent feature in organizations. Teleworking, once marginal, has become an essential way of organizing work (22% of employees telework at least once a month, according to DARES, 2025), a “way of life” (Taskin, 2025). It has profoundly changed the spatial and temporal parameters of work, requiring new tools, innovative management practices, and regulatory processes. Employees, particularly executives (Apec, 2025), are enthusiastic about this model because it promotes work-life balance, autonomy, and a managerial relationship based on delegation and trust. However, some companies, mainly American, are attempting an authoritarian return to face-to-face work, generating tensions and strikes (Ubisoft, Deloitte). To what extent does teleworking, as an established organizational innovation, constitute an essential form of organization and a tool for rewarding employees? We answer this question through three cross-referenced qualitative interviews. We reveal that teleworking has become not only a tool for flexibility, but also a lever for attractiveness, retention, and even a form of remuneration.