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New French Law Prohibits After-Hours Work Emails

Posted by timothy on from the annual-non-performance-review dept.

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.""

7 of 477 comments (clear)

  1. At least someone appreciates work-life balance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I'm off the clock, I should be able to completely ignore work and everything work-related. I should be able to leave my work smartphone in the office.

    1. Re:At least someone appreciates work-life balance by pezpunk · · Score: 5, Insightful

      i agree. unfortunately, that's "un-American".

      --
      i could live a little longer in this prison
  2. What the French call la dolce vita? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Isn't that Italian?

    1. Re:What the French call la dolce vita? by kruach+aum · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The original said "whatEVER the French call la dolce vita", implying that the writer of that sentence is aware that French and Italian are two different languages.

  3. Re:A law for everything... by guytoronto · · Score: 5, Insightful

    We don't let people work crazy hours because it allows employers to take advantage of the desperate, poor, and ignorant.

  4. Re:A law for everything... by Eunuchswear · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously, if someone wants to work crazy hours, why not let them?

    Nothing stopping you.

    All this says is the boss can't fire you for not replying to his out-of-hours email.

    (Previously, he might have made an attempt to accuse you of "faut grave", a grave dereliction of duty, which could get you fired without unemployment insurance).

    --
    Watch this Heartland Institute video
  5. Re:In other news... by taylorius · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "France fails at having an Internationally competitive workforce."

    Good for them. In the race to the bottom, France's "failure" sounds more fun than being the winner.