This summer, Héloïse Arnold went on vacation to Scotland by train. The long journey of nearly 1,400 kilometers was made more manageable thanks to a "responsible travel time" day ("Temps de Trajet Responsible," TTR) offered by her employer. She was able to add this day to her regular vacation time to choose the train over flying: "This extra day helped with the long waiting times. I arrived in London in the morning then took another train, a night one, to Inverness in the evening," she said.

However, most importantly, according to her calculations, this option enabled her to reduce her carbon footprint by a factor of 20 compared to the same journey by plane. The young woman works for Vendredi, a social startup already attuned to these issues, as it supports companies involved in environmental or social projects.

Since its launch in the first half of 2023, the program has already been used by one in three employees (out of 42). "This can be a turning point for people who want to travel in a more eco-responsible way, but who are sometimes still hesitant to do so," said Julian Guérin, the company's president, who considers it to be "a form of bonus."

To qualify, you need to take a journey longer than six hours, whether by train, bus, carpool, or even bicycle. This leave can also be split into two half-days. "If, for example, an employee wants to travel between Paris and Barcelona by train (around seven hours), they can take Friday afternoon off to travel and arrive in the evening. Then organize a return trip on the following Monday with the first train at 6 am, and work in the afternoon."

The company was inspired by what Ubiq had already been doing for six months. Ubiq, a subsidiary of Nexity specializing in office sharing, is the first in France to experiment with this type of leave. It goes even further, granting up to two days a year to its employees. "The idea came about during a brainstorming workshop. Some of our employees had expressed their desire to travel more by train, while at the same time pointing out that it costs more and takes longer," said Ubiq CEO Mehdi Dziri, acknowledging that while this day doesn't solve everything, it does help address the second issue.

Nearly 50% of the company's employees have already used this option to travel to places like Corsica, Italy, or Spain. "Initially, we thought the potential would be limited to our 37 employees and save a few dozen flights annually, but it could apply to thousands of workers," said Dziri. According to him, this leave changes "the way you prepare for your trip, the way you think about it, and even the way you experience your journey, by incorporating stopovers." Beyond the employee, "it also affects their partner, family, and friend group."

You have 40.57% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.