Capstan Avocats is launching a new annual publication: Capstan Perspectives. A thought leadership tool, it aims to share our analyses, fuel reflection and provide key insights for executives facing major transformations in work, HR and Employment Law.
This publication combines:
- An economic, sociological and almost anthropological analysis of workplace transformations
- Capstan’s legal and operational expertise
- The perspectives of hundreds of business leaders from companies of all sizes across France
- A forward-looking vision of the future of work
This year’s theme: Future of Work –Businesses facing changes in the world of work
Four major transformations
New employees
Against a backdrop of demographic and generational change, the profile of the “new employee” is taking shape, the result of multiple dynamics that are transforming employment relationships. Firstly, there is an unprecedented generational shift: for the first time, four generations are working together. This diversity is an asset, but also a source of tension, with 72% of managers reporting difficulties with Gen Z in the workplace. The challenge is to turn these differences into a collective asset. This relies on management capable of articulating sometimes contradictory expectations, without reducing HR policy to a simple generational interpretation.
Another major development is the increasing number of senior workers. By 2030, a quarter of the workforce will be over 55. Integrating them, valuing their experience and facilitating intergenerational transmission are becoming essential tasks. The challenge lies in facilitating their recruitment and their career paths rather than imposing their retention.
At the same time, the relationship with work is becoming increasingly individualised and transactional. Employees now seek recognition, autonomy, flexibility and meaning; they no longer automatically adhere to a culture of loyalty or permanent contracts.
Finally, international mobility reveals a paradox: while companies are offering fewer opportunities, despite increased skills needs and a challenging political context, employees can now build their own careers abroad.
These four elements — generational diversity, the role of senior employees, changing expectations and mobility — are collectively reshaping the contemporary workforce and forcing organisations to reconsider their practices.
Responsible business in the new world
The emergence of broader responsibility places companies at the heart of major societal and environmental challenges.
ESG standards have multiplied and become more stringent: due diligence obligations, the French “Pacte” and “Climate and Resilience” Acts, and the Pay Transparency Directive. This regulatory pressure is accompanied by growing expectations from employees, consumers and investors, who demand tangible proof of environmental and social commitment.
Transparency has become a key value, particularly when it comes to wages and reducing inequalities. In this context, credibility requires consistency between words and actions.
Health at work is also becoming a major issue: prevention of psychosocial risks, attention to mental health, and combating taboos surrounding ill-being. The role of businesses is no longer just about producing and generating profit; it extends to building trust and creating a positive impact.
Environmental commitment, diversity, inclusion and responsible governance are becoming key factors for attractiveness and sustainable performance, but there are also pitfalls or constraints for businesses. Embodying these values is fundamental. Social dialogue and stakeholder involvement are essential conditions for transforming obligations into opportunities and sustaining these initiatives in the long term. The ability to demonstrate, measure and communicate results is key to strengthening legitimacy and meeting the expectations of a world in which companies are judged as much on their societal contribution as on their economic performance.
The technological revolution
The scale of technological change is reshaping ways of working, skills and organisations.
Teleworking is an example of this revolution: although very popular with many employees, it nevertheless raises questions about team cohesion, fair access to opportunities and maintaining social links.
Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is having a profound impact on the way businesses operate. From recruitment and assessment, to training and career management, all HR functions are affected. According to projections, nearly 40% of current skills will change by 2030. Some jobs are disappearing or shrinking, but most are being reinvented and augmented, generating both productivity gains and concerns about ethics and data protection. Meanwhile, other technologies are emerging: virtual and augmented reality, quantum computing, the Internet of Things, and intelligent automation. These innovations herald a new industrial revolution that requires us to rethink organisation, governance and continuing education. The challenge is not only in introducing new tools, but also in building a hybrid, agile work culture that can integrate innovation while maintaining trust. Success depends on upskilling, securing career paths and anticipating professional transitions. Achieving the right balance between performance and protection is essential to avoid a digital and social divide. The major challenge of this transformation is to make technology a collective lever for progress rather than a factor of exclusion.
From employment relationships to professional relationships
Demographic ageing, declining birth rates, the increase in self-employment and the challenge to our French social model mean we must change the way we think about the employment and employee relationships, moving towards a professional relationship. The rise of self-employed workers and digital platforms is further blurring the traditional framework, making the boundaries between autonomy and subordination increasingly unclear. While this presents a challenge for companies in terms of talent management, it also creates an opportunity to develop a hybrid workforce.
HR must be at the heart of corporate transformation, ensuring consistency between strategy and employee experience. Companies can use internal policies as a laboratory for innovation, experimenting with and securing new, customised systems before rolling them out more widely.
The French social model, which has long operated as a protective shield, is faced with a strategic choice: maintain a system designed for salaried employment or invent a renewed, flexible and inclusive framework that supports all forms of activity. Although this transformation is constrained by demographic and economic changes, it also opens up opportunities to build a more resilient social architecture, aligned with contemporary realities and focused on the future.
Lessons
Transformations in the workplace are not compartmentalised: they intersect, cross-fertilise and require a multi-disciplinary approach and response. Over and above the individual subjects addressed, Capstan Perspectives highlights common themes: companies cannot simply manage each change in isolation; they must develop an integrated, global, and fluid strategy.
Demographics are at the heart of all these developments, while the relationship to work is changing radically, driven by the search for meaning, the demand for flexibility and new forms of engagement.
In this context, HR Directors are becoming the true linchpin of transformation, at the forefront of connecting strategy, people and employment law. Successful leaders will not be those who tick boxes as quickly as possible, but those who are able to take a step back, connect the dots and build more than just a project: a philosophy of work, driven by constant agility.
