A flippant expose of the country and people who will host this year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games. This week Editor at Large Louise Evans takes a lazy look at the French work ethic.
It’s not that the French don’t want to work, It’s just that they prefer to lunch.
Tourists could be excused for thinking that the only fully-employed French workers at any time of year are the hospitality staff standing out the front of the ever-crowded cafes, bistros and restaurants from Calais to Cannes.
Trying to catch a waiter’s eye is another issue.
Never suggest that the French should work more because … they’ll stop work.
That’s what happened when President Emmanuel Macron proposed raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, a level already de rigueur in fellow OECD countries.
Retirement age in Australia is 65 – 67 depending on when you were born – a shocking three years longer than the French.
Meanwhile in Britain, where the state pension age of 66 is expected to rise to 68, and Germany is preparing to raise it from 65 to 67.
The reason for Macron’s move is that public pension spending is weighing heavily on the French Budget, caused by an increasingly ageing population and a falling birth rate, costing 14.5 per cent of France’s gross domestic product, compared with about 11 per cent in Spain, Germany, and Belgium and five per cent in the UK and The Netherlands, according to OECD figures.
Macron’s pension reform proposal met with rolling strikes, demonstrations and violent clashes with the specially trained BRAV-M riot police, as millions took to the streets nationwide to protest against working longer.
Anti-pension reform protesters even stormed the headquarters of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in a failed attempt to stop lawmakers passing the successful pension reform bill.
History has taught the French that stopping work, going on strike, demonstrating and rioting can change history as evidenced by the 1789-99 French Revolution which resulted in the abolition of the monarchy, the public execution of Louis XVI plus wife Marie Antoinette and the dawn of a French Republic.
With successive Republics has come a resolute attitude to life-work balance.
Today the French enjoy a 35-hour work week and a traditional one-to-two hour lunch break.
The average French worker gets 30-days annual paid leave, compared with 20 days in Australia, New Zealand, UK, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, and Switzerland among others. Plus there’s RTT (Réduction du Temps de Travail) which is like time in lieu – additional paid leave earned for time worked beyond the standard 35-hour week.
Annual leave was promoted by the Front Populaire party in 1936 when France became one of the first nations to offer 15 days of paid yearly leave.
Following a series of violent protests (naturellement), it was extended to 18 days, then 25 days, and now 30.
Plus there’s 11 public holidays in France and while everyone loves turning a public holiday into a mini break, the French are masters.
They even have an expression for it “faire le pont” or “bridging the gap” between a day off and a weekend to create a longer break.
In May 2024 French workers were able to turn three national holidays into a 12-day spring break.
The national holidays of Wednesday May 1 Labour Day, Wednesday May 8 WWII Victory Day and Thursday May 9 Ascension Day became 12 days off work when you add five days annual leave and the weekends. It’s a good lurk if you can swing it.
A survey by holiday specialists PAP Vacances showed 76.5 per cent of travellers used the time off to go to the beach.
Vacation also plays a significant role in the French culture and calendar, both as a symbol of workers’ rights and well-being and the cycle of the seasons.
The concept of a summer holiday dates back to 1231 when Pope Gregory IX closed universities for a month in summer to stem absenteeism caused by students taking time off to tend the harvests.
Hence les grandes vacances has become an institution when everyone goes on summer holiday, schools close as well as many shops and even bakeries.
Don’t try suggesting that the French work while on holiday either – they do not even check their work email.
The right to be cut off from work emails and notifications when on holiday or at rest, “le droit à la déconnexion”, is not just sacrosanct – it’s enshrined in law passed in 2016.
France’s les grandes vacances is followed by “la rentrée” when the country lapses into national depression caused by the return to work and study.
Come the end of August there will even be stories about “la rentrée” in the media with experts advising employees how to cope with maxed-out inboxes, regimented hours, demanding bosses and annoying workmates.
La rentrée also signifies the beginning of autumn, which paves the way to Christmas, New Year, Easter, spring, summer and les grandes vacances again.
And that’s the annual rhythm of the French life-work balance. It’s no wonder you can’t catch the eye of French waiters – they’re busy thinking about their next holiday.
NOTE – This is the latest in a weekly series of “Frivolous facts about France for Olympic bon vivants”. You can read other Frivolous Facts stories by clicking on these topics: French Art | French Architecture | French Sportscars | The French Language | French Wine | French Explorers | French hatred of the British | French Heroes | French Bread | French Inventions | French Olympic History | French Literary Greats | French Films | Famous French Athletes | The French Pacific | French Cafe Society | French History | French Tourism | French Romance | French Food | French Politics.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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