During the COVID‐19 pandemic, the nuclear and border control services had to reorganise their work, both on‐site and remotely, to continue their activities. Whereas employees came to work at the power plants and border posts every day, the health rules introduced by the public authorities and those relating to the lockdown of populations suddenly meant that only a portion of the teams could be selected to continue activities essential to electricity production and food supply within the European Union. Above and beyond the perceived inequity between on‐site workers and those able to work remotely, this research examines how the organisation regulates work arrangements, and in particular, how work activities are configured—that is, how they are carried out, and the autonomy and control involved in their execution. To this end, it draws on Jean‐Daniel Reynaud's regulation theory to analyse the regulation of work organisations in these two sectors. It shows that the distinction between on‐site and remote work was not set in stone, and that there was considerable movement (of workers, documents, procedures, etc.) between the two. It also highlights the changing dynamics of the reconfiguration of on‐site and remote work, even over short periods of time, as a result of autonomous and control‐based regulations designed to achieve these reorganisations. Our case studies concern the maintenance departments at two nuclear production sites plants in Spain, and the veterinary and phytosanitary inspection border services in three French ports. This comparison opens up analytical perspectives for many other sectors.