Whew, punch out too late at the Thomson plant in Paris and you’re busted. Too late? Huh? In France working long hours has become a national crime. When we’re working more than ever in the US, it’s the opposite in France. France has cut the legal workweek to 35 hours from 39 even for professional and managerial staff. Can you imagine setting up a dot.com company in France? Yeah, you bet.[i]
[i] Woodruff, David, “In France, Working Long Hours Becomes a Crime,” Wall Street Journal, June 15, 1999, p. A15.