Vive La France, Vive Les États-Unis

Posted by Kristina Cowan

When it comes to making a great nation, labor and workforce issues must take center stage--otherwise, the most any country can hope for is mediocrity.

France and America, two great nations, have much to say about how their people work, and both are pushing to make things better.

I witnessed this up-close recently, during a 16-day tour of France from Normandy to Nice. Though it was vacation, I couldn't help but do some informal investigating and compare workplace issues in the States to those in the Fifth Republic. There are obvious differences--France's 35-hour week and generous vacation time versus America's intense work ethic and typical two weeks of vacation. Each country has die-hard supporters who believe the other country's approach is wrong.

I disagree. In important ways, America and France have it right regarding their workforces. But neither is perfect, and they could learn a lot from each other.

A New Regime

Much is being made of France's new President Nicolas Sarkozy and his emphasis on--among other things--hard work; some say he is vying to make France more like America. He appointed as finance minister Christine Lagarde, the first woman to lead the U.S. law firm Baker & McKenzie. Her nickname is "the American."

According to a recent New York Times op-ed on Lagarde:

Lagarde's goal, she says, is to slash France's chronically highly unemployment -- now about 8 percent -- to 5 percent by 2012 and increase the proportion of the total population in jobs to 70 percent from 63 percent. Rehabilitating work is central to this ambition.

Tax cuts, the termination of unemployment benefits for those refusing two valid job offers, later retirement, incentives for those working more than 35 hours, a slashing of the bureaucracy associated with job-seeking and improved professional training are among measures enacted or envisaged. Legislation to reverse the 35-hour week is possible.

''I think we have to go around it,'' Lagarde says of the law. ''To demonstrate that it's not a holy principle and it can be modified, varied, mitigated and possibly reversed.''

A CBS News story from 2005 notes:

France is still one of the world’s five largest economies. When the French work, their productivity per hour is among the highest in the world, even better than in the United States. Problem is, French workers are on the job an average of 300 hours less per year than their American counterparts, so French economic growth lags far behind the United States.

France's leadership may be borrowing some ideas from the United States. They'll likely tailor the concepts to fit the country--I don't think, as some have suggested, Sarkozy and his administration are looking to turn France into America. That's an absurd notion, not to mention impossible.

A friend who has lived in France for many years sums up the difference between the countries this way: America is a society that thrives on risk; France is a risk-averse society. If France were to boost its risk-tolerance a bit, perhaps it would be pleasantly surprised.

Working to Live

America also can be schooled in some lessons from France, especially about work-life balance and vacation. According to a Business 2.0 article, "U.S. employees are taking less time off than ever: Not only is the average number of annual vacation days granted to them a mere 12.4 - less than that of the average medieval peasant - but more than a third of us don't even use all of our allotted time off."

People I talked to in France mentioned how they relish their seven or eight weeks of vacation every year, and how much it adds to their quality of life.

The CBS story explains:

The French are so passionate about their vacations, they put pleasure before profit. As tourists throng the streets and summer temperatures hit their peak, Paris’ most popular ice-cream parlor is closed for a whole six weeks. It’s the kind of business bonanza that would be seized upon by Americans, but the French don’t seem to care.

"The big difference is money, the place of money in your life," says [Stephane] Marchand [a senior economics editor at the French newspaper, Le Figaro].

I don't suspect the average American vacation will expand to seven weeks anytime soon. But I do think that, amid all the conversations about work-life balance and flexibility, we should take a cue from France. Their quality of life is higher than ours largely because they work to live, while many Americans live to work.

It's great to love your work and deliver more than 100 percent while you work. But humans are wired to step away from the fray and enjoy the roses--that's true for the French and the Americans.

Embracing Each Other's Strengths

I've heard many Americans espouse dislike for France--without ever having traveled there. Likewise, I've been on the receiving end of some unsavory remarks and treatment in France.

Spewing such nastiness is silly.

America and France should be open to exchanging ideas about work, and to learning more about each other--especially when we encounter one another in our homelands. That doesn't mean all Americans will suddenly love everything about the French, or vice versa. But we can be wise enough to tap into each other's strengths, appreciate them, and use them to our advantage.

• 'The American' in France (The New York Times)
• The French Way, and Ours: Let Us Compare (The New York Times)
  
• France: Less Work, More Time Off (CBS News)
• A new era (France 24's special report on President Nicolas Sarkozy)
• Profile: Nicolas Sarkozy (BBC News)
• Nicolas Sarkozy: The Hyperpresident (Center on the United States and Europe)
• Response on Sarko (post from Roger Cohen's blog in the International Herald Tribune)
• Francois Fillon: "France can do as well as Germany" (Le Figaro)
• Time Off: The Europeans Do It Right (BusinessWeek)
• There's more vacation time on tap for you (Business 2.0)
• Transit Strike Hits Paris and Much of France (The New York Times)
• Country profile: France (BBC News)
• SuperFrenchie (a blog about France and America)

Comments

[Hmmm]

I am not for sure you are correct on this. Not all french gets extended vacations and some of us work much more than you ever know.

Have you looked at our taxes and etc. The rate of employment is higher than reported. It is only measured by those recieving benefits and not those who fall from the system.

The social safety nets are there but not at the level one thinks or to the degree that is easily obtained.

[kimberly m]

dear hmmm - well EVERY country has somewhat inaccurate unemployment rates...depends on the definition. To answer the questions, have you looked at our taxes? Have you looked at US taxes? Ever wondered why the wealthy stash their money in off-shore accounts? There are MANY social safety nets in France. Let me give you some examples, in France if you have an illness/surgery your doctor most give permission that you are well enough to go back to work. I have met many in Paris who actually work just to meet unemployment and then go back to Africa for several months....though getting their benefits by direct depoit. At least that's why they explain to my face. Perhaps they're lying to me. At any rate, the grass always seems greener on the other side. BTW, I'm Canadian, but I have lived and worked in Canada and the USA. Sure there are ignorant people who think that french do not work as hard....of course that is not true. But from an american perspective...imagine if you are always made to feel guilty and disinterested in your job if you only at work for 9 hours a day (8 paid + 1 for lunch) and you are always made to feel guilty on vacation ...and often expected to keep your Blackberry turned on or check in ... for your entire vacation. Trust me, when an employer can fire you for almost any reason....being required to work for so many hours unpaid and with little vacation...France seems to offer a better quality of life.