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French word of the Day: Télétravail

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French word of the Day: Télétravail
14:19 CET+01:00
This word might come in handy for many employees in France next month, but it's not quite what it sounds.

Why do I need to know télétravail?

In the modern workplace this is something that you may be offered, or could request. But although it sounds like working while watching TV, that's not quite what it means.

What does it mean?

It means remote working, or working from home. Which as any dedicated employee will tell you is absolutely not the same as pretending to work while lolling around watching daytime TV.

And it's one you might be hearing a bit of in the coming weeks.

As a major transport strike threatens to paralyse France in December, employees who generally commute using public transport may find it easier to work from home on strike days. (Although be aware that France has some quite complex rules on the subject and any remote working needs to be agreed in advance with your boss).

So you might hear

Essayez le télétravail, pour éviter les déplacements inutiles - Try working from home to avoid unnecessary travel.

Of someone whose boss is a bit inflexible on the subject might lament 

L'approbation pour le télétravail est difficile à obtenir - Approval for remote working is hard to get.

Mon patron a refusé ma demande de télétravail, donc je dois essayer d'utiliser le RER le jour de la grève. C'est relou! - My boss refused my request to work from home so now I have to try and use the RER on strike day. It sucks!

For more French words and phrases, check out our French word of the Day section.




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