Stellantis eliminates remote work: Back to the office for a pragmatic togetherness

Stellantis, the owner of brands such as Vauxhall, Fiat, Citroën, and Peugeot, has decided to bring its employees back to the office more frequently, thereby phasing out the remote work rules established during the pandemic. Employees are now expected to work in the office at least three days a week on average, or even the entire week for urgent projects. Previously, staff were allowed to work remotely 70 percent of the time. This change was initially implemented for automotive engineers at the beginning of the year and is now being extended to research and development teams as well as other roles. Xavier Chéreau, Chief Human Resources Officer at Stellantis, explained at the Paris Motor Show that the company needs to adapt to the current situation and will pull the plug when challenging projects require more attention. Under the leadership of outgoing CEO Carlos Tavares, the company initially viewed remote work as an opportunity for better work-life balance. Tavares stated as recently as 2022 that remote work posed no risk and even increased productivity, despite the exhaustion of an intense workday from home. The shift back to the office comes at a time when Tavares, who faces pressure due to slow sales and production delays, announced his resignation for 2026. While he dismissed criticism of his performance, Stellantis will also be seeking solutions to address weak US sales this year. Stellantis is not the only company scaling back pandemic-induced remote working. Meta, Salesforce, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, and Deloitte have taken similar steps. However, many of these firms face employee resistance, with increasing competition for talent making the return to the office more challenging. In an effort to make the return to the office more appealing, Stellantis has begun redesigning its buildings to create more open spaces instead of individual office cubicles.