French workers just won the right to ignore business emails after working hours

It’s surely a good time to be an employee in France. A new labor law that took effect today Sunday Jan. 8th gives employees the "right to disconnect" from email, smartphones and other electronic leashes once their working day has ended.

"These measures are designed to ensure respect for rest periods and balance between work, family and personal life," the Ministry of Labor said in a statement.


The rule requires companies with 50 or more employees to negotiate new out-of-office email guidelines with staff. Firms have a duty to regulate the use of emails to ensure employees get a break from the office.

If management and staff cannot agree on new rules, the firm must publish a charter to define and regulate when employees should be able to switch off.

French unions have long pushed for a "disconnect" rule, saying digital technologies have created an "explosion of undeclared labor" that is forcing employees to work outside the typical work week.
Some French companies have already put rules in place to bar employees from using their work devices after hours. Some firms even completely shut down their email systems overnight.

The email rule is the latest in a series of measures designed to overhaul France's labor laws.