Quand le trajet domicile-travail pèse aussi sur l’entreprise : Le regard d’un DRH (Dossier 2/3)
After detailing, in the first part of our report, the time and money that long commutes cost workers, this second installment examines the other side of the problem: the cost of these trips to the company. Fatigue, delays, absences, teleworking, recruitment, productivity… The phenomenon now extends beyond mere transportation. It directly challenges the organization of work. Souleymane Fall, Human Resources Director at Seneweb, shares his analysis.
Mr. Fall, in your company, do some workers spend several hours a day commuting to work?
Yes, we do have employees who sometimes spend more than two hours commuting to work. This situation is largely due to the massive traffic jams our metropolitan area experiences during rush hour, particularly in the morning and late afternoon. These workers use a variety of transportation options: taxis, minibuses, buses, trains, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), or even their own vehicles. Those living in the most remote areas can indeed spend two to three hours a day commuting alone.
And what are the consequences of these long journeys for employees when they arrive at work?
It is undeniable that these long journeys cause fatigue among our staff. That said, we have implemented a system designed to mitigate this. Return transportation is provided for all personnel. Similarly, for all media coverage, transportation is handled from start to finish: journalists are even dropped off directly from their homes and taken to the reporting location in the morning. This is a requirement of our profession, because in the context of media coverage, no delays are tolerated; the news doesn't wait.
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Beyond fatigue, do these mobility difficulties have repercussions on the functioning of the company?
We have indeed observed cases of absences related to these mobility issues. This is why we allow one or two days of remote work per week for employees who request it. I would like to emphasize that this remote work is strictly regulated: the employee must be available and reachable during working hours, and the HR department must be able to verify its effectiveness.
Why is it necessary to regulate teleworking?
I emphasize the word "framed" because our sector has its own constraints. As a journalist, you know better than anyone that information doesn't wait: if too many days of remote work are granted to colleagues who live far away, it becomes very difficult to quickly mobilize someone for a last-minute story.
The same principle applies to our sales teams: they must attend appointments, but a presence must also be maintained in the office to receive advertisers who come directly or call our landlines.
Can mobility difficulties also influence recruitment decisions?
To my knowledge, no employee has resigned specifically because of the distance from their home. However, as Head of HR, I sometimes make geographical proximity a recruitment criterion. For example, when two candidates have equivalent skills, experience, and interpersonal skills, I give preference to the one who lives closest to our offices. It's a factor that, with similar profiles, can make all the difference.
What measures has your company taken to reduce the impact of long commutes on employees?
We have put in place several measures: covering return transport for all staff, full transport for media coverage (round trip home-reporting) and the possibility of supervised teleworking one to two days per week depending on the positions.
Can teleworking really be a solution to mobility difficulties?
Since Covid-19, we have experimented with remote working and it has brought a great deal of satisfaction, both in terms of time saved and increased productivity. Remote working can indeed make employees more productive thanks to the time saved on commuting.
But we must also be clear-eyed about our realities: does each employee have a quiet space at home conducive to concentration? This is not always the case.
That is why I believe this opportunity should primarily be offered to the most experienced and autonomous employees, as they can be evaluated on the basis of the tasks assigned and their successful execution.
Furthermore, the employer must be able to ensure that the employee is actually at their workstation during working hours; I am thinking in particular of the non-compete clause included in contracts, the validity of which must be verifiable. Today, tools exist that allow for the organization and management of remote work, in the interest of both the production system and the worker.
Beyond teleworking, do you think we need to rethink the organization of work to take into account mobility difficulties?
I believe that a reflection on work organization is necessary, but it must remain balanced and adapted to the realities of each sector of activity. Adjustments such as staggered hours or organized employee transport can be complementary to teleworking, particularly for professions that, like ours, require constant responsiveness and cannot rely solely on remote work.
Commentaires (19)
Il aurait fallu installer des bornes de paiement automatisées, avec des tarifs suffisamment élevés pour dissuader les automobilistes de stationner toute la journée et les inciter plutôt à se contenter de déposer leurs passagers surtoutpourles particuliers. Le laxisme des autorités municipales et leur refus de tirer parti des expériences d'autres villes figurent parmi les défaillances à l'origine de la congestion routière dans le centre-ville de Dakar, un phénomène qui s'étend de la sortie de l'autoroute de l'avenue Malick Sy, jusqu'au-delà au Cap Manuel.
Il convient également de souligner la perception qu'ont les citoyens sénégalais de la distinction entre espace privé et espace public en matière de stationnement, notamment en ce qui concerne les trottoirs et les bandes de chaussée adjacentes. Ces empiétements, souvent dus à des véhicules laissés en stationnement toute la journée, réduisent de fait la rue à deux voies de circulation en sens opposé, paralysant ainsi les déplacements tant des véhicules que des piétons (qui devraient pourtant pouvoir utiliser ces espaces qui leur sont réservés). Les embouteillages qui en résultent s'étendent sur des kilomètres, rendant finalement l'accès au centre-ville quasi impossible.
L'autre problème c'est qu'au Sénégal le tout le monde veut avoir son propre véhicule ce qui complique le trafic. La solution est de rendre les moyens de transport en commun plus confortables et régulier afin d'inciter les gens à les prendre. C'est mieux que chacun essaye de se déplacer avec son véhicule.
wakhouniou télé-travail
ni thé lait travail
defaard deukbi lagniou wakh
Aussi simple.
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