The rhythm of 2 days of authorized telecommuting per week is stabilizing in most companies. But, in the great roulette of the future of work, why hasn't the ball stopped at 3, or even 4 days? Has some mad gambler turned the tables and created a new model: 2 days a month in the office and the rest telecommuting?

At NUMA for the past year and a half, all employees are invited once a month (ie. all expenses paid) to 2 NUMA-days in Paris, and work the rest of the time wherever they like in France, with no impact on their remuneration.

Having only 2 days in the office per month obviously gives rise to a period of uncertainty and adaptation, during which the company must rethink the way it works collectively.

Now that I've got over my initial concerns, I'd like to share my pleasant surprises with you about this model:

1. An asynchronous culture that strengthens relations between colleagues
2. Greater team involvement
3. Collective rituals guarantee group spirit‍

1. An asynchronous culture that strengthens relationships between colleagues

The first major change, when 80% of the teams are not in the same place, is to switch to an asynchronous working mode. In this configuration, communication is mainly in writing (or by voice notes for the expert level!).

• The "preparation" of the individual points allows you to focus on the authentic exchange and concentrate on the essentials, as the points that can be dealt with in writing will have been anticipated. The time spent face-to-face, for example, serves to really get to know your new colleague and how he or she is feeling at the moment.
• In the same way, as onboarding is a particularly important moment, each Numan shares its Guide to me This includes my values, my availability, my guiding principles, my passions, the things that get on my nerves and the things that will put me in your pocket. A super-simple tool that lets you get to know each other right from the first exchange, avoiding the classic "what did you do before NUMA?"
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2. Greater team involvement

The second big change with the adoption of this model is that we only see each other as a team 2 days out of the 20 we work. The more control-freak types have quickly done the math: I spend 90% of my time without seeing my teams... but what are they doing all this time?

We work... better.

• This 2-day-a-month model forces us to make an individual effort to be clear: it's impossible to re-engage "off the record", or to open a "3-6pm office" to catch up on a missed monthly point. At NUMA, each week begins with a meeting to take stock, celebrate collective victories and realign around the vision of success communicated to all and updated every quarter. This model also calls for greater accountability and collective trust: we won't launch a project without clarifying upstream who contributes and who decides at the end.  
• This model allows greater flexibility in the service of creativity. It's the opposite of the fixed model, which imposes the same rule on everyone (often based on the boss's preference), and doesn't adapt to the week's priorities or to each person's own moments of productivity and creativity.
• The corollary for a small structure like NUMA (35 people) is to gain in attractiveness and retention. What's better than being able to live in Grenoble when you love the mountains, or in Bordeaux when you love surfing? Since we changed our business model, we've seen 6 Numans relocations and 5 inter-regional recruitments. The result: employees who look good all year round and find a better balance in their lives.
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3. Collective rituals to guarantee group spirit

Third and by no means least: collective moments become exceptional, and it's up to the group to make them so. Even working in the same office, it's easy to think of certain colleagues as strangers. A little less so when we organize a 2-day monthly program devoted to getting to know each other:

• Day 1 of NUMA Days is all about conviviality. The day is punctuated by time spent together and in smaller groups, creating the opportunity to exchange ideas and bond with everyone. The evening begins with a team-building activity (such as a cocktail workshop or an escape game) and continues in a bar chosen by a Numan to end the day on a more informal note.
• On Day 2, teams spontaneously take charge of their informal rituals and organize group time to perfect their practices, brainstorm on a complex subject, or share lunch with employees based outside Paris.

At the end of the game, the ball stops... What can we learn from this?

Whatever the model adopted, the current period should not lead us to "transpose" online working. On the contrary, we need to innovate and fundamentally rethink working practices in a hybrid context.

The 90% teleworking model will not be possible everywhere, but its benefits are worth studying in order to take a step back and gradually develop more traditional structures.

As with any change, I don't believe in miracle recipes or the perfect model. The key undoubtedly lies in our ability to question ourselves, and above all to combat our hidden beliefs about telecommuting and try out different approaches.