France's After Work Email Ban Is 1 Step Closer To Reality (huffingtonpost.ca) 259
Jesse Ferreras, writing for Huffington Post: France is that much closer to becoming the first country to ban after-work emails. The country's lower parliamentary house passed a bill this week that would ban companies with 50 or more employees from sending emails outside regular work hours, BBC News reported. It now goes to the Senate, where members will study it before sending it back to the National Assembly to enshrine it in French law. The bill would make businesses come up with hours during which employees cannot check or send emails. And it comes as workers are finding it increasingly difficult to detach themselves from work, Socialist MP Benoit Hamon told BBC News.Hamon adds: "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash -- like a dog. The texts, the messages, the emails -- they colonize the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down."
Good and bad (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
graveyard shift with a pay diff and OT may not be that bad.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I work late shift right now and I like it. I worked graveyard shifts before and loved them. Sadly they were taken away "for the employees' benefit" (read: "because it was more expensive").
eh, not saying it's really a bad idea (Score:2)
[Workers] remain attached by a kind of electronic leash
That sounds like more of a personal problem to me. I get to be smug here because I only check my work mail when I'm not working on sick days (and even then usually just once in the morning and once in the afternoon--I'm sick after all so I need to get better). And that's just because I'm such a nice person. Haven't had official on call duties in the present job, but always remember to get a company phone in addition to your personal one if you need to be on call. If I get a text or desperate on my perso
Good someone-else's law (Score:3, Funny)
As an American, no, we wouldn't want or need a law like this. It would be unambiguously an anti-freedom nosey-government sort of thing. Blech.
Except when my wife is checking her emails. Then suddenly I wish the government were slapping everyone's wrists, controlling their behavior against their will, and suppressing their freedom as much as possible. STOP DOING THAT, WIFE!! Come back to the here-and-now with me, dammit. Ok, I get it: the TV show we're watching, bores you. We can watch something else! Now put down that tablet.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe you should let her pick the show and she won't be so bored she checks e-mail....
Re: (Score:2)
That would have the added benefit that he could then check his own emails instead :D
Kind of lite on details (Score:4, Insightful)
What does that mean? That I as an employee am not allowed to send email to another employee outside of that employee's defined work hours? Or that the company will queue mail until that employee comes to the office? Or that employees are not required to check their email. If the latter that will be about as good as saying "don't come to the office when you are sick". But then guilt employees for staying home causing them to come to the office sick anyway.
Re: (Score:2)
I also see a problem with "Sorry, boss, I didn't email you last night saying I was going to be out sick today, because it was after work hours. But giving you zero warning is okay, right?"
I mean, it does cut both ways. No email after work hours can hamper necessary communication.
Re: (Score:2)
It means that the company can't require or expect you to send/receive email outside of work hours. If they do you can take them to an employment tribunal.
How does this work? (Score:2)
"The bill would make businesses come up with hours during which employees cannot check or send email"
I looked the article hoping to get more detail on this, but it's still sorta vague. I'm assuming this is hours based on an individual's work schedule? If it was a number of hours set in stone across the board, seems like a company with clients spread across the globe would be hurt pretty bad. Sure you could hire more people and implement shift-work....I know people that like to work odd hours, but once tha
Re: (Score:2)
I looked the article hoping to get more detail on this, but it's still sorta vague.
That's because it's a bill in Parliament, and the sponsors have no idea how to make it work - but they still want the political points.
A lot like that Feinstein-Whazzisname bill currently under consideration by the US Senate.
I don't see that working (Score:2)
Goodbye contracts from US companies (Score:2)
Saturday night drunk boss phone calls (Score:2)
Reduces BS E-mails (Score:2)
Although some may bristle and think this will cause a slow down of business, I disagree. It may make for a more efficient business with well-rested, lower stress employees.
I have seen so many e-mails sent overnight and in the wee hours of the morning from people that want to be seen as working extra time. It is kind of like the days of face time with the boss in the UK. You always leave after the boss leaves, so that it looks like you are a worker.
Simply penalize the company (Score:3, Interesting)
Simply make it a financial cost to the company for sending any e-mail to employees after work hours.
1 e-mail is instantly considered 4 hours of overtime pay. 2 is equal to 8, and so on.
If the employer doesn't want to pay the overtime, then they don't send e-mails. Period.
And the ISP's and servers have records of the e-mails being sent, so they can't deny it either.
Required ? (Score:2)
I kind of like the idea that I not be required to check my email away from work, but I personally like to get a view of my inbox about an hour before work in the morning. I feel more comfortable knowing sort of what I am going to face when I get to my desk. I also like to get there a few minutes early to settle in 'gracefully' rather than have my admin hanging over my shoulder prodding me that so and so is waiting in the conference room and boss #2 wants an 'immediate' update on some project the instant I g
I like doing this at 1 am. (Score:2)
I like cleaning out my inbox of issues the night before so I can be productive on my personal work the next morning. Different people work differently and it's weird for government to get involved in these sorts of details.
I am french, but i think it's everywhere the same (Score:5, Interesting)
Previous posters are corrects, the goal is to stop abuse and a situation which is becoming too common and too abusive.
If there's no immediate urgency, just wait for the day after, else put shifts or an on call team.
That costs money , but the company is actually working for an extended time, and most likely making more money, so better officialise it.
If you re worrying about the well being of you re company, you ll just answer late at night thinking it might important. Then it will become a habit and you ll do it everyday. And peoples knowing that you'll answer will contact you more often. I had on duty peoples phoning me when i wasn't on call the week end. At one point i had phone calls every week end, not making any money from it, because i was not "officially" on duty.
Peoples didn't take this habit to call me, from one day to another, it took a few years. And that s what the other poster is referring to. Once it becomes the norm, peoples who don't answer the week end, get marked as not interested in their work, but they aren't paid either to do this either. And yes at one point it becomes the norm for the whole job branch to be reachable 24/24.
Then why takes expensive contracts with super fast SLA and everything if peoples answer all the time? The whole market get screwed. At one point they try to officialise what should be the norm and what is not, and answering emails outside of your workshift is not .*
I am working in a company where peoples take 0 break, that's their norm. I am smoker, i always take a 5 min smoke break the morning and the afternoon (all very dutyfully metered with my token.
My opinion : my back hurts as hell, i need a mental break, taking a 5 min break won't hurt my productivity. I work (mesured with my token) an average 7h20 per day, when i am paid for 7.
My coworkers opinion : i am a lazy guy always taking breaks. I stopped answering phone calls the WE (si i can try to have a life, social activities and such), so i am not cooperative.
The law opinion : every 4 hours period of time needs a 10 min break and every employee working more than x% of their time in front of a computer (i think it s 75%, me : 95%) must have a 5 min activity every hour that they dont do on a computer. And whatever you try to turn it to, the week end is a no no.
My interpretation of that law ( and there's not much room for interpretation ) : The 5 min break is an activity that would involves me, not being at my desk and being one which is the decision of my employer (there's none). I should take longer break the afternoon to reach 10 min and 0 the morning, obviously, leave earlier.
What i still do, being passionate about my job and i shouldn't do: Check my office mails and our monitoring every 2 hours in order to catch situation that may become harder to fix later, do a bit more hours, for free.
Small background on me, should have a few digit less, just didn't register in the early days. Linux admin since 11y. So, yes, i didn't liked that token thing.
Ha! As if this would work! (Score:2)
To All Employees (Score:2)
Fits with 35 hour work week (Score:2)
Email != phone call/text. Not contemporaneous. (Score:2)
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:4, Funny)
Yeaaaaaah, how ya doin' Peter?
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Funny)
Ummm, I'm gonna need you to go ahead come in tomorrow. So if you could be here around 9 that would be great, mmmk... oh oh! and I almost forgot ahh, I'm also gonna need you to go ahead and come in on Sunday too, kay. We ahh lost some people this week and ah, we sorta need to play catch up.
Re: (Score:2)
That wasn't email, that was over the cubicle wall.
Re: (Score:3)
That wasn't email, that was over the cubicle wall.
and apparently over your head.
Re: (Score:2)
Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking! Just a moment!
Re: (Score:2)
We need to talk about your TPS reports.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Even if other countries adopt this policy, it won't work because of time zone differences. China is six hours ahead of France, the USA is 6 to 9 hours behind France. Conducting international business becomes impossible.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Insightful)
Even if other countries adopt this policy, it won't work because of time zone differences. China is six hours ahead of France, the USA is 6 to 9 hours behind France. Conducting international business becomes impossible.
Not impossible - delayed. The e-mails will wait until someone can read them. Many businesses already have a policy that electronic communication will be answered within 1 business day.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Much of the time maybe even most of the time that will work. If you have ever worked on a big project with an overseas team though you will know some phases need faster turn around than that.
Not everything can be pre-planned some things you have to deal with as they come. At somepoint even if it is after hours most people for their own sanity will want to follow so e-mail so that when a guy sends "Tried that got...." You can reply quickly with "Okay..Well..see if this will work...." and get the issue res
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Insightful)
Pro-top for French legislators: When you have 11% unemployment, and 0% GDP growth, perhaps you shouldn't be looking for ways to be even more hostile to employers.
Or perhaps you should, because they're obviously not doing things right.
It's the businesses that have to be able to adapt to the environment they're in - failure to do so isn't a failure of the environment. Sahara doesn't support penguins, and Antarctica doesn't support camels. Animals that migrate either place must adapt or die.
Businesses unwilling or unable to adapt to different countries are better off packing up and leaving, making room for those that are able to adapt to the local climate.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Insightful)
Even if other countries adopt this policy, it won't work because of time zone differences. China is six hours ahead of France, the USA is 6 to 9 hours behind France. Conducting international business becomes impossible.
No, it just requires a more specific solution. Just a few that occur to me immediately:
(1) Unless the business is especially urgent, just have a policy that emails will be replied to within 24 hours. That's pretty reasonable for most circumstances, except for emergencies or if you're actually providing a 24-hour service of some sort.
(2) If you are providing a 24-hour service of some sort, you just hire different employees with different effective business hours to cover all hours of the day. Or if your company opens a new division dealing with a business 6 hours different, change the effective business hours of a few employees to handle those transactions.
(3) If you need someone to deal with emergencies, presumably you could pay them "overtime" or something like that for their time... which is what businesses really should be doing when they require people to do stuff outside of business hours.
Basically -- you want people to be available to deal with stuff at other hours? PAY them to do so. Nothing hard about this.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Are doctors exempt?
No, they aren't. And people die because of it, along with their mandatory vacation time..
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com... [usatoday.com]
Re: (Score:3)
If people die because someone expects e-mail to be answered right away, it's not the doctor who's to blame.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Informative)
Basically -- you want people to be available to deal with stuff at other hours? PAY them to do so. Nothing hard about this.
While this is a nice plan, it would be illegal in France. There's regulations about the number of hours one can work.
Umm, so you don't actually know anything about French labor law, do you?
There's this myth that no one in France can work more than 35-hour weeks, but that's simply not true. They just set that as the threshold where overtime pay has to kick in, and (unlike, say, the U.S.) the overtime laws generally apply to white-collar salaried workers as well as blue-collar wage workers.
So, it's definitely possible in France to pay people to work overtime beyond 35 hours/week. There are a few different thresholds about overtime hours and how much extra you need to be paid, as well as maximum limits on hours/day or how many weeks you can have overtime beyond a certain threshold, etc. And once you get to a certain amount of overtime, you have to compensate employees with extra "rest days."
Anyhow, the system is complex, but there's nothing preventing a company from paying overtime for employees to handle most reasonable issues outside normal business hours.
AND -- guess what? If you can't staff your business for enough hours with the employees you have under the law, that's a clue maybe it's time you have to pay to hire ANOTHER employee! (Weird how that works....)
Re: (Score:2)
They own APC (one of the most common makers of UPS's). Beyond that I haven't heard of them.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:4, Funny)
Even if other countries adopt this policy, it won't work because of time zone differences. China is six hours ahead of France, the USA is 6 to 9 hours behind France. Conducting international business becomes impossible.
Gee, if only someone would invent the electric lightbulb so our work hours wouldn't be locked to the movement of the sun.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Interesting)
Err... the whole point of email is that it is asynchronous communication medium. I know because I'm old enough to remember what things were like before email. Stuff was either handled immediately in real time by phone call, or by letter (or telex, and later fax). So for the most part you had two time response frames: right away, and a week or so.
One thing I've noticed about technology over the years is that it isn't so much a productivity amplifier as a general human proclivity amplifier. So technology amplifies laziness as much as anything else, and the lazier you are, the harder you work in the long term. Back when you had to get your work done in 35 hours, you had to be focused; you had to be tactical; you had to plan things out to make good use of your time.
Back when I was an engineering manager I used to have strict comp time policy. If you pulled an all-nighter, fine, but I want you to take a short day the next day or take it off entirely. It's not because I'm a nice guy; it's because when you work for me I expect you to work harder than you can keep up for fifty or sixty hours a week. I expect you to use your time intelligently and selectively.
As a manager I view needing to have routine unrestricted access to your employees' time as laziness. Undisciplined management leads to unstructured work time. You also have to be assertive with customers. I also never allowed customers to take out their insecurities on my staff. If we said something will be done by X, it'll get done by X; and no you cannot call my engineers directly to see how things are coming. They will report progress to you at the intervals we agree upon. The "give the customers 7x24 access" is a the lazy manager's response to bad customer service. You have to train your customers to expect success from you.
Re: (Score:2)
Having the clients interact directly with employees causes a lot of communications issues too, where various team members may have information that others (including the manager) do not, which creates conflict and issues with the project (and setbacks as a result). (Or, as I was told at a previous job, don't try to do the project manager's job for them. They (and other client liasons) exist for a reason
Re: (Score:2)
Then schedule shift work.
Re: (Score:3)
I would assume that "regular work hours" could vary for each employee.
Re:Then France will have no global business (Score:5, Insightful)
The benefit of people dealing with email after work is probably not something that has a huge impact on the company's bottom line. Very few things can't wait until the morning.
Mostly this is more a problem of pushy managers rather than business need.
Re: (Score:2)
Mostly this is more a problem of pushy managers rather than business need.
And with employees that are willing to go the extra mile or seven because the alternative can be being replaced by someone who will. Before, when you left work, there was no technological leash. Nor expectations of 80+ work weeks.
Karoshi [wikipedia.org] is spreading from Japan to other countries, and I think it is commendable that France tries to stem it.
People die because of overwork, and one death is one too many.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't open my work laptop after I go home.
It's very liberating.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't take my laptop home.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't take my laptop home.
I would prefer a desktop. More storage, more CPU, more memory and I can leave it and come back to it exactly as it was the next day.
Alas they only offer laptops. Big corporations lack flexibility. But I'll live with my first world problems.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm on a call with him right now,
Re: (Score:2)
Not me. L1B -> Green card.
The tards who bang on about H1Bs don't even understand the details of the visa process because they've never been through it.
Immigration (Score:4, Insightful)
So if Einstein wants to immigrate to the US, and we don't have full employment, you're going to kick his ass to the curb?
Personally, I think the free flow of labor is a good thing. I wouldn't mind going to work in e.g. Germany, Costa Rica, or Japan. Moving to another country is not for the faint of heart even if you don't have visa issues. I could develop this theme more, but I think that even you can come up with as many circumstances where immigration is good.
Re: (Score:2)
I agree totally.
Why is it some people agree that the free flow of goods and trade is economically good, but claim that the free flow of labor is not?
Re: (Score:3)
If some low skill minimum wage H1B can do your job well you are already in trouble.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is no H1B in France.
Re: (Score:2)
as many french emigrating as us citizens getting the hell out of the US
US population is five times greater than france. http://www.wolframalpha.com/in... [wolframalpha.com] so french emigration per capita rates are much higher.
Re: (Score:3)
Well if that "optional" (really mandatory) office parties of any kind has on the clock with OT pay then they will go away.
Also the do realy work but we call it a party will be dead. That joe mayo is a jack ass.
Re:Why not stop checking? (Score:5, Insightful)
Because the next day, your boss is screaming at you for not answering his "emergency" email the night before.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
A screaming boss is my cue to ignore him so I can concentrate on writing my 4 weeks notice.
You do not scream at me. For no reason. Ever.
Re:Why not stop checking? (Score:5, Insightful)
yeah, with the great job market every one has, I'm sure that will work out well for you.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
(laughs)
you are young and arrogant.
at least one of those will be fixed over time.
Re: (Score:2)
I'm arrogant too. And now I can actually afford being it, because I'm GOOD at what I'm doing.
That's what I am and that's what I expect. I expect people to be able to do the job they are supposed to do. If they're unable to do it, they should quit. Shit or get off the pot.
And my experience is that screaming bosses rarely do theirs. The volume of their voice is usually directly proportional to their inability to do their job well.
Re: (Score:3)
I've actually never had a problem getting a job. What matters is relevant degrees, relevant certifications, and, most of all, a reputation that you're damn good at what you're doing, and there is NEVER a shortage of offers.
Of course if you are generally just goofing off on the job and your employer is better off without you, well, you have to endure the yelling.
Re: (Score:3)
I've actually never had a problem getting a job. What matters is relevant degrees, relevant certifications, and, most of all, a reputation that you're damn good at what you're doing, and there is NEVER a shortage of offers.
That's all great if you're in a profession with high demand. It's also fine if you're relatively young and there are a lot of easy places "low on the ladder" to jump to if you're not satisfied.
If your profession happens to go through harder times, or too many people start getting degrees in your field, labor becomes cheaper and better jobs become harder to find. And once you get beyond a certain age in most professions, you're too old to just start "entry level" any more -- so you have to wait to find a
Re: (Score:3)
Never a shortage of offers?
Sure, offers are made just to turn you down justifying H1B employees. It is like the difference between being charged with a crime and being convicted.
Re: (Score:2)
Right, like you're replaceable....
Re: (Score:2)
I dare say that whoever is yelling at me is very likely not able to demand that. At the very least I have a hunch that I will not end up as the one being fired on the spot.
At a certain level in the hierarchy of corporations, you don't simply get fired.
Re: (Score:2)
Quit being a *uss. I've always had a explicit policy with my managers and coworkers - even put it on my email footers sometimes - that YOU will CALL/TEXT ME if it's an emergency. Otherwise, your "emergency" email goes into the inbox and stays there until I have time to read that pile.
Re: (Score:2)
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
About 20 years ago, when my then manager asked "would you use a pager?" I smiled and replied "only if it comes with a raise."
Of course, he wasn't a douche bag, he laughed, and the subject never came up again.
Still, I get work email on my phone.... sometimes I check it, sometimes I don't; I actually like the job I do and am interested in the projects I'm working on, so while I may not do any work, I don't mind checking email to see the status of something and know what to expect when I do get back to work th
Re: (Score:2)
...Furthermore, even if their isn't such a policy in place, any employee who doesn't respond after hours may be seen as "not a team player". ...
You're being too kind.
.
If it is the type of company that routinely emails its employees after hours, then that company will, not may, call you out as not being a team player. Companies nowadays seem to think their employees are owned by the company.
Re: (Score:2)
You can just not check your e-mail all the time after hours... Even turn off the mail app on your phone. (Some phones you can schedule this!) But, no... We must protect people too stupid to stop working when they are home...
In a healthy workplace you can, but sometimes you have workaholic bosses or colleagues who expect the same from you. Many people want to be good team players, but don't know how to push back when it starts depressing them.
Companies will probably find ways around this, such as paying people less and paying them the difference for being on-call?
Re: (Score:2)
How exactly do you stop working when your boss is sending you an email home and demands you immediately respond?
I don't get what is wrong with you americans. What is wrong in protecting people? Point there is already law about working hours. And *rest* is a demand by such laws. Employer simply want unpayed extra hours from people at home, so again we have a new law.
Re: (Score:2)
you are right. americans are broken. like animals that start spirited, but when controlled by humans long enough, they break and become their slaves.
we have become virtual slaves to our corp masters.
we have allowed them to reduce our benefits, reduce our pay, increase work hours, force us to train replacements that are offshored or onshored, cut insurance, cut benefits. oh, and now we all have to endure this 'open office' bullshit that pretty much annoys everyone, whether they are honest and admit it or
Waaaaah. Cry me a fucking river. (Score:2)
If you don't want to work extra hours then don't. I really like my job and I like working outside of standard hours. People are different.
Re: (Score:2)
A lot of us do not have options in that matter.
Work somewhere else? (Score:2)
There will always be ways for employers to pressure employees--laws can't anticipate every situation. The best solution is to: make sure you are worth what you're being paid, have a backbone and stand up to your boss, and if all else fails then go work somewhere else.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
The reason the poster is scared is that the US work ethic is propped up by a thin veil of smoke and mirrors. Most American's are fucking retards, which is why they work too much for too little pay and despite it being in their best interest, refuse to self-organise into unions to protect themselves.
There is some kind of nationalistic net cast over all of this that implies a failure to "work hard" is a failure to be American. Of **course** this gets exploited by the employer, and the result is the current st
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Good job France! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
The attacks that are the direct result of America and the rest of the EU funding global terrorism? Those attacks?
Re: (Score:2)
The attacks that are the direct result of America and the rest of the EU funding global terrorism? Those attacks?
Last time I checked France is part of the EU....so the rest of the EU does it but France is somehow not responsible?
France has been one of the major players in the middle east for decades....I shouldn't have to mention their grabbing of Syria and Lebanon from the Ottoman Empire, their arms sales to Iraq and Libya, the French-Algerian war, or the Suez Crisis.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
France becomes the first nation to declare it's only going to do business in one timezone.
It is not after work if you are working.
After work is when you are not doing business, and not getting paid.
Re: (Score:3)
Considering that France spans several time zones that would be difficult.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe we should organize a strike ?
In France?!?! No way that would happen... ;-)
Re: (Score:2)