The company decided that it was time to make Fridays mandatory office days twice a month. In November of 2022, David Greenberg, CEO of L'Oréal's USA, announced that workers had to return to the office three days per week. Greenberg sweetened the deal by saying that the workers would be welcomed back with a personal butler. The concierge has been offered by L'Oréal for some time, but after everyone went away during the H1N1, it became a bargaining chip in order to get workers back to work. The company has a lot of free things in its offices, but it is the concierge perk that is the crown jewel. Greenberg felt that the concierges were worth it because of the necessary engagement, creativity, sharing, and learning.
L'Oréal made a genuine effort to sweeten the deal, unlike the others who took away the perks workers enjoyed.
Nicolas Hieronimus, the company's global CEO, said at the World Economic Forum that workers were lacking passion, attachment and creativity.
If you ask other business leaders, it is an unusual move to eliminate Fridays and Mondays from your schedule. "I thought this would be more stable, but Friday is winning out in the stakes and that's why I thought this would be more stable," said Nick Bloom in an email to Fortune in August. Firms are pushing for people to come in on the same days.
Fridays are usually the emptiest days in the office. The average worker jumps at the chance to start their weekend a bit early, and even pre-pandemic, the appeal of Summer Fridays spoke to the general population's desire for a softer entry into Saturday. L'Oréal is one of the few firms that mandate Fridays in particular. One of the reasons L'Oréal hit the ground running after the outbreak of the H1N1 was because they didn't do the same things as other tech companies and said everyone works from home all the time. '”
It is important to be in the office, because it is about meeting people. It is important for the company and the employees to be able to do in-person work.