French Workers Can Now Avoid Checking Work Email After Official Hours, Applicable From Jan 1

This news is a great development in the labour laws of France and brings positive implications for all the workers in the French offices. From January 1, the French workers will have the "right to disconnect". This means that the government is formulating a measure to tackle a negative 24*7 work culture that has led to massive employee dissatisfaction. This negative culture has also increased unpaid overtime.

The measure has been tried to be put into place so that work flexibility can make workers happy without being burnt out with excessive work. Since yesterday, French companies have been required to guarantee this right to their employees, against technology. The government is trying to tackle the epidemic issue of pressure arising from checking work email out of office hours. This employment law is applicable to all organisations which have more than 50 workers and give the employees right to ignore smartphones. The overuse of gadgets has been connected to many issues including sleep problems and relationship issues.

"There's a real expectation that companies will seize on the 'right to disconnect' as a protective measure," said Xavier Zunigo, a French workplace expert, as a new survey on the subject was published in October. "At the same time, workers don't want to lose the autonomy and flexibility that digital devices give them," added Zunigo, who is an academic and director of research group Aristat.

The law was first introduced by the French labour minister Myriam El Khomri, and under this new legal regime, companies need to talk to employees to determine the right to switch off gadgets. If a deal cannot be reached, the company must publish a charter that would make explicit the demands on, and rights of, employees' out-of-hours. Does this law signal changing times for the better of working class? Keep watching MobileNApps for more updates and news!