EIn August, the same transatlantic memes about work and vacation are circulating on social media. The European is portrayed as someone who is out of the office and strictly switches off and does not respond to customer requests (“I’m away camping for the summer – please contact me from September 2nd”), while the American cannot afford this luxury (“I’m in the hospital – I’m so sorry it’s been 30 minutes since I got back to you!”).

There is more than a grain of truth in this stereotype. Europeans often worry that they are “falling behind” the United States economically, but in reality, the US GDP per capita is 30% higher than in France, mainly because Americans work 25% more hours each year than the French. In fact, the term the pension doesn’t translate particularly well into (American) English, partly because it’s not just a word but a cultural phenomenon: “the return to everything” in September – work, school, book releases, museum exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events, and, of course, the political hustle and bustle – when everyone returns from a month-long vacation or more.

But it’s not just about summer weeks off. Since 2017, French employment law has included the “right to disconnect” – a measure that the UK government is now considering. The law, which applies to companies with more than 50 employees, requires companies to clearly define normal working hours and establish work communication guidelines negotiated with employees. It also allows employees to be unavailable or unresponsive after work. Other European countries, including Belgium, Spain and Italy, have since followed suit.

Sarah Wachter, communications manager at a Paris-based fintech company, says that in her workplace, “there is so much encouragement not to respond after hours,” which she puts down to “a combination of knowing that it’s a legal requirement and knowing that people support it. I feel 100% within my rights to switch off every weekend, evening, when I’m sick or on vacation. I don’t feel any pressure to answer my emails or other work communications.”

In contrast, Sabina, a 29-year-old American currently working out of Paris, told me she was seeking a transfer to her company’s European office — in part because she was fed up with having to be constantly available. “I definitely feel pressured to respond to emails and Slack messages after work hours, and even texts while on vacation,” she said. “They rush you and make you feel like you have to respond, which makes it hard to set boundaries.”

In recent years, awareness has grown of the dangers of work invading leisure time – especially for knowledge workers whose jobs don’t have to be done in an office or on an assembly line. French health insurer Alan even argues on its website that the right to switch off is a public health issue. Meanwhile, numerous trials of a four-day week (which some companies and even parts of the French public service are experimenting with) have shown that a better work-life balance leads to employees feeling less stress and fatigue and being happier and more satisfied – and more productive too.

Despite the change in French legislation, bad habits persist and may have been exacerbated by the pandemic and the trend towards working from home. A 2023 survey by French company Opinionway found that 55% of French workers checked their work emails in one way or another while away from the office and 27% said they worked from home while on vacation. The organization Vaincre le Burn Out (“Defeat Burnout”) estimates that 2 million French workers suffer from burnout – a problem that seems to have gotten worse since the pandemic.

Despite these worrying statistics, those hoping the UK government will introduce a right to switch off should be encouraged by the positive impact it is having on French work culture. Geoff, an American who works as a product manager for a French startup, says that in his previous job at a US tech company, it was normal to communicate with colleagues and managers outside of working hours. Today (and despite not knowing the legal framework), he wouldn’t expect anyone from his team to respond to him on weekends or holidays.

Perhaps the right to disconnect law has changed the culture of French workplaces. For some young workers, this is the only France that works like this. Luc, who works for an NGO, graduated in 2017 and started his first full-time job after the law came into force. It’s not something he’s ever consciously thought about, “maybe because I’ve always taken it for granted,” he says.

With that, I say goodbye. After all, it is August and I have to go (back) on vacation.