by MARILYN WEDGE
The French love their smartphones and high tech gadgets just as much as we do. But a new law passed on January 1st in France recognizes that techno-connection can be too much of a good thing. The law gives employees “the right to disconnect” from their workplace during evenings and weekends.
And the French already consider their vacations sacrosanct—French workers would not even contemplate taking their laptops along while they sun themselves on the Riviera.
French workers already have plenty of time to relax with a 35-hour work week mandated by law. Now, they don’t have to balance the distraction of work emails and phone calls in the evening while they enjoy beef Bourguignon and freshly baked baguettes with their families. They have time to interact with their spouses and children without work-related interruptions.
The new law does not ban work-related emails after working hours. But it does require that companies with more than 50 employees do not expect their employees to deal with work-related phone calls or emails after they leave the workplace. Employers must find a way “to negotiate with employees and unions and agree on a policy to reduce the intrusion of work into private lives.”
The intent of the new law is to decrease the stress and burnout that is endemic not only to France, but to all developed countries.
In 2015, French Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri commissioned a study that warned of the health impact of what she called “info-obesity.” It showed that more and more French people could not get away from work—even when they weren’t there.
Emails during weekend and evening hours were found to have a negative impact on employee’s health. And employers recognize that a lack of downtime decreases the productivity of their workforce and increases burnout.
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