A new law bans about 1 million French workers in the digital and consulting industries from checking work-related emails and phone calls while not at work. CNBC reports:
“About a million French workers in the digital and consulting industries will be required to switch off work phones and avoid email before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m., barring ‘exceptional circumstances,’ according to a BBC News article. The agreement reached by employers federations and unions also says employers cannot pressure their employees to flout the directive.”
Maintaining work-life balance for citizens has long been a priority in France, which mandated a 35-hour workweek in 1988. Still, that restriction of hours has gradually been undermined by the growing ubiquity of mobile devices. Still, workers are questioning whether the law is actually enforceable.
The law comes after Volkswagen made a similar resolution to restrict its servers from sending employees emails outside of their shift.
Alex Kogan is a Spring 2014 editorial intern.
