Stellantis puts an end to teleworking: "It's time to go back to the office".

It's a little phrase that says a lot about the changing times at Stellantis It's time to go back to the office". After pioneering telecommuting in the automotive industry in the mid-2010s, the Franco-Italian-American group is gradually turning the page on the "smart working" inherited from the Covid period. The movement first took shape in the United States. In early 2025, some 8,650 employees (mainly managers) were asked to return to the office at least three days a week. A first stage of two days' attendance was introduced, before a gradual tightening. At the beginning of 2026, the course was even clearer: American employees were now required to return to the office five days a week, with telecommuting becoming the exception rather than the rule.

In its internal communications, the Group emphasizes the need to strengthen cohesion, teamwork and concrete involvement around vehicles and technologies. According to management, direct collaboration has become a "competitive advantage" in a context where growth demands rapid decision-making and increased innovation.

John Elkann set the tone

In Europe too, the message is getting through. Back in 2025, John Elkann set the tone in a video message to employees: "It's time to work together again. A symbolic statement that marked the end of an era associated with the presidency of Carlos Tavares, during which telecommuting had profoundly transformed office organization.

In Turin, the 6,000 white-collar workers at Mirafiori are preparing for a gradual return to working five days a week by 2027. In 2026, up to two days of remote work per week should still be allowed, before a full return to face-to-face working. The tone remains measured: management speaks of a "non-traumatic" transition and assures us that individual cases linked to health problems can be studied on a case-by-case basis. But the course has been set: the hybrid model as it has existed since the pandemic is a thing of the past.

Between industrial execution and social tensions

This change of direction has not come without some gnashing of teeth. For several years, some employees had organized their personal lives around telecommuting. Some have moved far from their original site, while others have taken this flexibility for granted. The unions also point to very concrete constraints: offices resized for a presence limited to 30 % of the time, parking lots and catering services calibrated for reduced staff numbers.

At Mirafiori, the question of available space is already raising questions. Will rotations be necessary if all employees return at the same time? Union representatives fear a loss of attractiveness, particularly for young talent, for whom flexibility is now one of the criteria for choosing an employer.

For Stellantis, however, the challenge goes beyond simply organizing work. The Group needs to accelerate in electrification, embedded software and global competition. Management believes that physical proximity promotes efficiency and collective creativity. The return to the office is presented as a strategic tool, just like a new product plan or technical platform.

It remains to be seen whether this decision will actually strengthen the Group's internal dynamics, or whether it will fuel lasting tensions in a context already marked by major industrial adjustments. One thing is certain: at Stellantis, the era of massive telecommuting is coming to an end, and open spaces will gradually return to the hustle and bustle of the pre-2020 era.