CGT AMADEUS NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 2015 / #18

OFFICE RENOVATION
AND WORKING CONDITIONS
OPEN SPACES: MANAGEMENT IS IN DENIAL
Management wants to extend open spaces without consulting the staff. Its arguments are:
- It has been requested by staff. This assertion is unfounded as shown by the initial responses to a
questionnaire from the CHSCT (Health and Safety committee) to staff located in les Espaces and the Main
site: for the question Are you in favour of the switch to open spaces of minimum 16 employees? (as is the
case for Bel Air), out of 264 replies, 12% are in favour, 78% are against and 10% did not express a
preference.
- It improves collaboration between staff. This categorical assertion should be qualified as it contradicts
numerous scientific studies on the consequences of working in open space (see our website) and a lot of
feedback from employees in Bel Air and Navigator (see PV of CHSCT 22 September 2015).

Actual experience of staff

Contrary to the claimed improvement in working conditions, the CHSCT found in many places:
- a loss of privacy at the work desk;
- regular interruptions and disturbances due to circulation of people between offices;
- more difficult to have discussions with management;
- discomfort caused by telephone conversations and noisy stand-up meetings;
- degradation of camaraderie within teams;
- a decrease in discussions between colleagues at their desks.

Scientific studies on open spaces

According to management, there are dozens if not hundreds of thousands [sic] of studies demonstrating the
positive effects of open spaces (AQG staff briefing). Yet, despite our repeated requests, it has not provided us a
single one! So what are the real reasons for the direction for the development of open spaces?
- Sanitize and depersonalize the workspace?
- Increase social pressure and dehumanize work?
- Facilitate the introduction of peer reviewing (a colleagues observation) and lean management? (see Les
chos - The lean management, a danger to the employees?: http://tinyurl.com/pquxtde)
- Use space more intensively?
- Reduce the cost of organising office space?
- Monitor staff more closely?

Managements idea
Managements idea of open space is one of removing walls, adding a few meeting spaces and depersonalizing
the work desk. The management announced that it will follow what Steelcase, a company specializing in furniture
and layout of work spaces, recommends. However at Steelcase we find:
- much more collaborative spaces, well removed from the work desks;
- a large number of empty offices where one can sit and concentrate in a quiet environment (no concept of this
type in Bel Air);
- cubicles for phone calls;
- a spacious rest area away from workspaces (to avoid noise)
Source: http://www.steelcase.com/eu-fr/perspectives/magazine-360, number 8, page 83.
Dont discard this newsletter, rather share the information with your colleagues.

After moving 1 350 employees to Bel Air in open spaces, without any consultation with the employees,
Management wants to do the same on all Sophia sites. The CGT has already made proposals to the Management
to improve working conditions in Navigator and Bel Air:
- Consult the CHSCT upfront on office reorganisation projects, so that the opinions of employees are taken
into account before they are implemented (as for the establishment of a 4G antenna near the offices).
- Adjust the space according to the number of employees.
- Carry out a detailed investigation of what works or not for the office layout in these buildings, to meet the
challenges and demands, especially regarding:
- noise and lack of privacy (better compartmentalization seems necessary);
- the inadequacy of collaborative spaces (they should be sufficient in number, properly equipped, and
must not be in the middle of the open spaces);
- visual discomfort.
The CHSCT has requested the expertise of an outside firm on the project at Main A, but management wants
to complete this project as quickly as possible: a first wave of movements has already taken place, increasing
the density of people in building A, and a work schedule has already been communicated. The CHSCT has asked
management for access to Mistral for communicating the results of the expertise to you (the management response
is pending). In addition, the CHSCT has proposed a questionnaire to consult employees, but management prefers
to do its own questionnaire to validate its concept.

Allergy alert at Bel Air The work doctor reported an increase in allergies on the site at Bel Air, probably due
to the presence of formaldehyde in the office (which is why the CGT asked for windows that can be opened). If you
are concerned, make it known to the doctor.

GSM - 4G ANTENNA AT BEL AIR

Despite the petition which gathered more than 200 signatures, management has confirmed it will do nothing on the
subject. Following our requests to the CHSCT, several points were disclosed after the installation:
- While the antenna was announced only for telephony, management asked for 4G, thereby increasing
exposure to electromagnetic waves.
- Management did not ask for a study for the possibility of installing the antenna farther from the buildings than
its current location (50 m from the nearest building) and this in defiance of the work doctors
recommendation that it should be done as a precautionary measure.
The CGT considers that, instead of focusing on the minimum required by the standards, the potential impact of
continued exposure of employees to the waves must be taken into account. In particular it seems quite possible to
put this antenna elsewhere!

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