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New French Law Prohibits After-Hours Work Emails
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Lucy Mangan reports at The Guardian that a new labor agreement in France means that employees must ignore their bosses' work emails once they are out of the office and relaxing at home – even on their smartphones. Under the deal, which affects a million employees in the technology and consultancy sectors (including the French arms of Google, Facebook, and Deloitte), employees will also have to resist the temptation to look at work-related material on their computers or smartphones – or any other kind of malevolent intrusion into the time they have been nationally mandated to spend on whatever the French call la dolce vita. "We must also measure digital working time," says Michel De La Force, chairman of the General Confederation of Managers. "We can admit extra work in exceptional circumstances but we must always come back to what is normal, which is to unplug, to stop being permanently at work." However critics say it will impose further red tape on French businesses, which already face some of the world's tightest labor laws." (Continues)
"However according to Simon Kelner French productivity levels outstrip those of Britain and Germany, and French satisfaction with their quality of life is above the OECD average. "No wonder, we may say. We'd all like to take a couple of hours off for lunch, washed down with a nice glass of Côtes du Rhône, and then switch our phones off as soon as we leave work. It's just that our bosses won't let us.""
the term is called 'exempt' and if you think for a living (you have control over the process in how you solve your work day issues) then overtime 'is on you' and not the boss' problem.
otoh, if your job is a simple typist (say) and the boss gave you extra pages to type in that could not be done in the same day, you CAN charge for overtime in that kind of job.
but engineers are 'exempt' since 'its their fault' (???) that the job took longer than bossman thought it should.
yes, IBM AND THOSE GUYS FUCKED US ALL OVER.
they used us and made us into essentially slaves to do their bidding and without any extra pay!
fucking evil shit, man. read up on 'exempt'. I was contracting and also doing fulltime work so I got stung by both. even on contract, I could not charge 1.5x or 2x since I'm 'exempt' even as a contractor.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
The last thing France needs is yet another reason for businesses to locate elsewhere.
The perennial right wing excuse for abusing employees and allowing corporations to avoid taxes. Fuck them. Countries like Sweden have fantastic workers rights, high taxes and yet still an unemployment rate little different from the USA.
Huh...I don't remember anyone "making" me work. The streets and shelters are full of people that choose not to.