France Ends the 35 Hour Work-Week
Because the heart of cycling still lies in Europe, and the biggest race happens in France, I thought it appropriate to report the end of France’s 35 hour work-week. Ten years ago in 1998, the French government started limiting the hours that employers could require employees to be actively working. The great thing about the experiment is that it didn’t really stop many people from putting in 40+ hours. Employees were still able to work past the 35 hour mark, but it was counted as overtime. And what about those two-hour lunches? Do they count for part of the 35 hours.
I went to France earlier this year to meet with the organizers of the Tour de France and I was surprised to find out that my appointment would start at 6:00 PM. I had long heard of the 35 hour work week, and I was curious about how they could still be at work that late into the evening. When I asked the question of the two representatives that I was meeting with, they chuckled and said, “It is a month before The Tour. We still have too much to get done by then.” The 35 hour work week didn’t really fit into the cards at The Tour de France, and I guess that it didn’t work out very well for other companies either. It is now officially a thing of the past, but I bet when I visit France next year, I won’t notice much difference.
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