52% of working people suffer a professional impact because of a home service call
- 17/08/2026
- 15:25
Reading time: 7 min
Content Marketing Manager
The OpinionWay survey for Nomadia (June 2026, 1,160 respondents including 671 working people) reveals that 52% of working people suffered at least one professional impact in order to be present for their last technical home service call: taking leave, forced remote work, or even a lost day’s pay.
The cost of a service call therefore isn’t limited to the provider’s bill: it includes an invisible opportunity cost, borne by the employee and indirectly by their employer.
Sommaire
One working person in two impacted at work
To be present for their appointment, working people pull every lever available to them:
The most telling figure is the second day off: nearly one in five affected workers pays twice for the same fault, because it wasn't resolved on the first visit.
For a client company, every imprecise time slot translates into lost production hours, a blind spot that few management teams factor into their cost analysis.
Did you know?
11% of French people have already cancelled or postponed a medical appointment to accommodate a technician. When the service visit takes priority over health, the problem is no longer just logistical.
Download the full study
Discover the professional and personal consequences of technical service visits at home.
Our solution: first-time-fix takes preparation
A second day off is almost always the result of a poorly prepared first visit. Nomadia Field Service Management assigns the right technician with the right parts and the right diagnosis prepared in advance (AI assistance included) to maximize first-time-fix rates and avoid a second visit.
Young workers on the front line
Among working people under 35, the professional impact affects 71% of respondents.
The proportion drops to 48% between ages 35 and 49, then to 37% past age 50 — a 34-point gap between the two ends of working life.
This gap reflects a difference in bargaining power: an established employee can more easily negotiate flexible hours or delegate someone else to be present.
Younger workers (probation period, fixed-term contracts, early career) absorb the constraint on their own. This also explains why this same group is the quickest to penalize the company afterward, as shown in the study's customer-loyalty section.
When the visit spills over into personal life
25% of French people report consequences for people around them:
- 19% asked a family member or friend to be present in their place;
- 18% asked a family member or friend to accompany or assist them;
- 11% cancelled or postponed a medical appointment.
Families are on the front line: 61% of working parents report a professional impact, and 54% of single-parent households report an impact on people around them.
Imprecise time slots act as an invisible tax on those with the least room to maneuver, a finding that echoes the study's section on constraints experienced while waiting .
Conclusion
Imprecise time slots don't just harm the customer relationship: they eat into vacation days, force remote work, and even affect medical appointments.
Reliable scheduling isn't just a matter of customer comfort — it's a matter of national productivity, and service companies that understand this turn it into a selling point with both individual customers and business clients.
FAQ
52% of working people suffer a professional impact because of a home service call
What is the main professional impact of a home service call?
Taking a day off or an RTT day (28% of working people), ahead of forced remote work (26%). Overall, 52% of working people report at least one professional impact according to the OpinionWay survey for Nomadia (June 2026).
Are young working people more affected than other employees?
Yes, clearly: 71% of working people under 35 report at least one professional consequence, versus 48% of 35-49 year-olds and 37% of those 50 and over.
Every day off, forced remote-work day, or absence to wait for a technician is lost production time for the customer’s company. Reliable service-call planning therefore benefits individuals as much as their employers.
