Everyone in the U.S. seems outraged at the fact that France has banned the use of e-mail after 6:00PM by its workers. The fear is that there are so many things we need to have 24 hours a day, that their economy will crash. The reports of the number of employees affected by this rule were initially I million, but in reality the number is much smaller -seems to be about 200,000, see NPR Story on France's new workday. I for one think we have a culture in the U.S. that does not value self-care, and because of that we are a population constantly just one step off of an edge. Sadly though, this culture of more-is-better doesn't yield better results, France's productivity rate is actually pretty comparable to the U.S. A feat considering their 35 hour workweek and mandatory vacation days, none of which are common here. To me this indicates, that we are obsessed with a lot of work and not with good work. We feel that if we spend long hours at the office we are somehow more produc...
These are the meandering thoughts of a smart and competent woman.