New French Law Makees Weekend Work Emails illegal

In the U.S., the legality, or lack thereof, of a certain set of emails could have a resounding impact on who is elected as your next president.

In France, a certain type of emails could have a resounding impact on something debatably even more important: your weekend.

A labor reform bill passed by President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party includes an amendment that says companies with 50 or more employees must bid adieu to sending emails outside of work hours.

Specifically, Article 25 instills the “le droit de la déconnexion,” or the right to disconnect. It states in part: “The burden of work and the informational overburden, the blurring of the borders between private life and professional life, are risks associated with the usage of digital technology.”

Preach, brother.

“Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash — like a dog,” says former French education minister Benoit Hamon. “The texts, the messages, the emails — they colonize the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down.”

While we aren’t fans of everything France is up to lately, we give this révolution our full allotment of vives for the week.

Meet your guide

Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”