My company (a small business with 40 people) just decided that everyone has to come to the office 4 days a week minimum, even though we've all been working fully remote for 2 years. There's nothing in my contract about this. Does the employer have the right to change things like that without asking our opinion? What am I supposed to do if I disagree?
The thing is, you and your colleagues have a card to play: if it wasn't written in your contract and you've been working that way for two years, it's become an established practice. Your employer can't just throw a change at you overnight without negotiating - they have to give you a notice period (several weeks minimum, not just a few days) and technically it's a contract modification.
If there are several of you in the same situation, you could ask for a collective meeting to discuss it, or at least send a professional email to your boss saying you're asking for a transition period and maybe some flexibility (like 2 days in the office instead of 4, or a hybrid arrangement). If he really refuses to discuss anything and it's a problem for you, you can consult an employment lawyer or contact the employment tribunal, but honestly, most of the time just raising the issue politely makes companies more reasonable about the timeline and conditions.
In France, employers can modify working conditions but they have to do it in a regular and justified way - they can't just force you to come back to the office overnight without any discussion. The best thing is to first check if there's a collective agreement or anything in your contract that mentions remote work, because that really matters. If there's nothing and your boss is imposing this unilaterally, you can challenge it by arguing that it's a significant change to your working conditions, and if you can't reach an agreement you can ask for help from the labor court or a union. In the meantime, document everything (emails, messages) and try to discuss it with him in writing to have a record.
Your employer can impose a change of work location, but they have to give you reasonable notice and it's considered a contract modification. If nothing in your contract requires you to work on-site, ask in writing for the exact terms and timeline for implementation, because a week is clearly not enough time to adapt. You can also refuse if it's not in your original conditions and get advice from your union or a free employment lawyer (most regions offer them). That said, it's like everywhere else: if you really want to stay 100% remote, you'll have to negotiate or accept the consequences, but they can't force it on you overnight without discussion.
I have a friend who ended up in exactly the same situation a year ago - her boss wanted to force everyone back to the office without putting anything in writing, so she asked for the changes to be documented in an email to have a paper trail. After two years of full remote work, it had basically become the standard for the job, so technically it was a unilateral change to the contract without agreement, which you can challenge.
Here's what she did: she documented everything (emails, dates), formally asked in writing whether this was a real contract modification or just a temporary directive, and mentioned that employee agreement was necessary for such a change. Her employer eventually offered a compromise - 2 days in the office - because they knew forcing it without solid justification risked damaging relationships or ending up in labor court. If you really want to push back, do the same thing: put everything in writing, ask the question clearly, and if you have other colleagues in the same boat you've got more leverage together.
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