Work like the French!

We all know how wonderful it is to work in France. The number of holidays that they have, the maternity and paternity laws and a complete respect of privacy is one of the best in the world.

The French already gives its employees 30 days off a year and 16 weeks of full-paid family leave.  Being unable to fully disconnect from work can have mental and physical health implications, which is why unwarranted contact by the workplace is soon to become illegal in France.  The new “right to disconnect” law will mandate that a company with 50 employees or more cannot email an employee after typical work hours. The amendment is largely a result of studies showing that people have an increasingly difficult time distancing themselves from the workplace.

We Indians are used to being available at the beck and call of work; be it weekend or a holiday, most of us do not think twice before we delve into work even when on a vacation or festival or weekend. Working is considered to be the most natural thing to do and so much a part of our life that even the family does not consider it an intrusion! Different countries, different cultures.