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Since the Covid pandemic, when office workers began to work from home (remote working is called ³Ùé±ôé³Ù°ù²¹±¹²¹¾±±ô in France) for safety reasons, for many the return to working ‘au bureau’ (in the office) has been gradual – what the French would call au fur et à mesure.

For those whose boss (le chef or le patron) permit (or insist) that they continue to work at least part-time from elsewhere, there are several options worth considering: staying at home (à la maison), working in either a bespoke office or makeshift workspace on the kitchen table; in a rented office space (or more usually just a desk, which the French call, much to the annoyance one presumes of the Académie Française, le coworking) or in a library. Note that the French word for a desk is also, confusingly, le bureau).

The latter is a great option – free wifi often comes as standard in your local ²ú¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð (not to be confused with la librairie, which is a bookshop); you can plug your computer and phone in without charge; and, perhaps most importantly, you are guaranteed silence (obviously this is not a good option for those whose work involves lots of phone calls – appels téléphoniques). 

For some with ‘office’-type jobs, leaving the house to work in a public area is a great way to mimic former working habits – just by leaving the house you can clear your mind and feel part of la société française, even if you have little interaction with others.

A ²ú¾±²ú±ô¾±´Ç³Ù³óè±ç³Ü±ð is a designated quiet area, but if your town has a ³¾Ã©»å¾±²¹³Ù³ó±ð±ç³Ü±ð, you are more likely to be disturbed by music, kids’ club activities, association events and suchlike and general brouhaha.