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French meetings: Eight things you need to know

A recent study found French managers spend on average 16 years of their lives holed up in meetings. So given that you could face such a lengthy period of your expat life in a French 'reunion' here's a guide on everything you need to know about meetings in France.

Published: 24 February 2014 13:05 CET
Updated: 25 February 2014 13:05 CET
French meetings: Eight things you need to know
French meetings don't have to be endless and confusing. Photo: Mads Nissen/AFP

If you have been stuck in a meeting in France for so long that you considered digging an escape tunnel, there are a few things that you should know before you reach for the shovel.

Yes they tend to go on longer than an average French lunch break, yes every point seems to have to be discussed over and over again and then once more, and it may feel like everyone must have a say.

But there is no reason to stress about all this. You are simply experiencing one of the more acute differences in Anglo/French working culture. 

The good news is that you can take a few simple steps or to prepare yourself in order to avoid a meltdown or at least to stop you making unfortunate faux pas that may insult your colleagues or hosts.

The bad news of course is that you are still going to have to attend meetings in Fraace. 

We spoke to Franco-American business consultant James Dillon and Anoine Dorin a marketing manager at French online meeting consultants Perfony to put together a series of tips to help you know what to expect and how to get through a typical French meeting.

Dillon sums up the essence and importance of French meetings is one precise point. “The meetings can go on and on, especially if it's more of a traditional company,” he told The Local. “Time is important, but relationships are what really matter.”

1. ‘Get to the point’ is the ultimate cultural insult in a French meeting

The French may seem to spend an excessive amount of time in meetings introducing how a project started and its subsequent phases, but to them the explanation is crucial. They believe the background is essential to decision making. To rush through the details is to offend the speaker. “How can you discuss business when you don't know the context?” Dillon says. “You have just demonstrated the worst stereotype French people have about Americans.” 

2. It’s OK if everyone is late

The meeting is not going to start, or for that matter, end on time. So you should give yourself some scheduling flexibility. Trying to rush the meeting will mean skipping parts or short changing the participants, which could be seen as rude. Besides, the French don't like being in meetings forever either. In fact they have coined the term “reunionite”, which basically means “meeting-itis” to describe their dislike ofthe ritual  Antoine Dorin, marketing manager at online meeting management company Perfony, told The Local.

“I think you have the same thing in the United States. There are people in Silicon Valley that are trying to do away with them completely,” he said. “We just think the time could be used a little more wisely.”  

3. The preliminaries are important

 The French will take time before getting to business to talk about who is in charge of what and who is who. This is not wasted time. Pay attention to where the centres of power lie in order to avoid offending or embarrassing your French counterparts. It may seem obvious as looking at the arrows on a flow chart, but the true politics of a company are vastly more complex.

4. Beautiful concepts are valued

For French managers it’s more valued to come up with a beautiful, perfect concept in a meeting than a plan to make money. They may look to the Anglos, who have a reputation in France for asking tough questions, to dig into the practical questions. Your French counterparts may defer to you on these matters. 

Looking for a job in France? Consult The Local's job section here.

5. They like analysis, not action

At a typical meeting in France you will see a love of discussing a problem or question at great length on display. However, the French aren’t huge fans of deciding how to get their idea to the next step. “The verb ‘to do’ is not as important as the verb ‘to be,’” said Dillon. “It sounds funny, but it's true.”

6. Things are changing 

Some French computer engineers have adopted meetings where everyone stands, instead of sits, in an effort to keep the gatherings short. Also, younger folks are bringing their iPads and smart phones to meetings and may fire off emails during a lull in the action. Their older, more traditional colleagues see this as disrespectful and it is a source of friction, Dillon says.

7. English is a foreign language

A charming and intelligent Frenchman can go monosyllabic during a meeting in English. It is important to remember you may not be seeing all of a person because they are afraid they look ridiculous when speaking English. “I’ve seen people lose a job because of this issue,” Dillon said. “It's a real problem.” So make the effort to speak French or at least speak English clearly.

8. Not everyone will speak up

In more traditional or larger French companies people may be afraid to offer up their ideas during a meeting. Whether as a means to save face or not offend a superior or ally, some workers will simply clam up. It can be useful to network with people before or after meetings to get a broader perspective.

Can you tell our readers any more about what to expect in French meetings and how to survive them? Let us know in the comments section below. 

Do you really hate meetings? See our ten tips to be a successful freelancer in France

FIND A JOB: Browse thousands of English-language vacancies in France 

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WORKING IN FRANCE

What are France’s laws around working from home that I need to know?

Remote working has become more common since the Covid-19 pandemic, but what are the rules in France? Can your boss really force you to work in an office?

Published: 8 January 2024 14:20 CET
What are France's laws around working from home that I need to know?

The French aren’t especially fond of remote working – known as teletravail – figures published in 2023 show. 

According to a study led the German economic institute Ifo and Econ Pol Europe and published in Les Échos last August, the French are among the least likely of workers in 34 industrialised countries to work from home – averaging 0.6 days per week, compared to the European average of 0.8, and the global average of 0.9.

The policy is more in vogue in the USA (1.4 days per week), the UK (1.5 days), and Canada – where workers average a world-leading 1.7 days per week remote working.

Reasons for this appear to be open to interpretation – a certain hesitancy among employers to allow staff to work remotely, and a resulting lack of employees asking for the option because they believe their bosses are likely to say no. 

Officially, this appears not to be the case. A 2022 study found that 58 percent of company bosses in France were “ready to facilitate teleworking for employees who wish to live in another region”. But, “43 percent of managers believe that remote working has made their managerial position more complex.” The reasons for their concern? “The reduction of informal exchanges (for 37%), maintaining team cohesion (36%), and managing employees (34%)”.

Furthermore, the Ifo and Econ Pol Europe study found that 62 percent of employees cited work socialising as one of the key advantages of in-office working, while 43 percent welcomed the work-life distinction.

The fashion today in France, in light of the pros and cons of homeworking highlighted during the Covid 19 pandemic, appears to be for hybrid working, in which workers spend part of the week in the office and the rest working remotely.

But what are the rules if you do want to work remotely in France?

Private sector employees can negotiate an agreement to work remotely full or part time. If you request to work from home on a long-term basis, your boss has the right to refuse, but must give a reason.

The remote-working rules for public sector workers are different and slightly more complex.

But first, it’s a good idea to check any conventions collectifs – collective agreements – that exist in your profession or workplace. They may well have covered remote working already, so it is well worth checking out what this covers before beginning negotiations.

Your boss can also ask you to work from home. In normal circumstances, you can refuse and don’t have to provide a reason. However, in the event of exceptional circumstances (such as, for example, a pandemic), remote working may be imposed on employees without their agreement.

Contract conditions

Assuming you are not a self-employed contractor, you will remain an employee of the company with the same rights as before, but if you switch to home-working permanently your employers must provide written conditions of your new working practices.

Among these must be a protocol for working hours and workflow regulation.

Employer and employee must also agree – before you start remote working – time slots during which your boss can contact you at home, in order to preserve your right to a private life.

In all other aspects, the employee is under the same obligations as if they worked in the office full-time. You must respect your employer’s instructions, working hours and conditions of use of equipment.

Work equipment

When an employee is working from home, the employer must provide, install and maintain any necessary equipment.

If, exceptionally, the teleworker uses his own equipment, the employer has to ensure it is appropriate for the job and is maintained.

In principle, setting up home-working should not entail any additional cost to the employee, so employers must supply and maintain any equipment that you reasonably need. Whether that is supplied directly, or through you ordering a work-station and claiming the expense back can be agreed between you and your employer.

The employer must also ensure that the employee is aware of restrictions on the use of computers, or electronic communication services. This includes limits on personal use, for example, and will likely remain the same rules as those in place in the office.

Allowances and expenses

Working from home can mean that electricity bills rise as workers use their own electricity for lights, coffee machines/kettles and computers.

Any fixed expenses – such as stationary, phone calls, printer cartridges, for example – can be claimed back from your employer on the production of receipts.

You are also entitled to ask your employer to share the cost of utilities like electricity, internet and heating.

If you work in a job where you receive restaurant vouchers, these cannot be withdrawn if you switch to home-working.

Data protection

The employer has an obligation to protect the data used and processed by its employees, including teleworkers.

This obligation applies whether the teleworker uses the employer’s equipment or their own.

Health and safety

If you are working at home, your residence becomes your workplace for that day, with all that implies legally. For example, if you fall down your own stairs on a day you are working from home, that could count as a workplace accident and your employer could be liable.

Employer liability can be strict in France – remember this case when a court ruled that a man who died while having sex with a stranger on a business trip was the victim of a workplace accident? Not that we’re suggesting any hard-working readers of The Local would be frittering away their working hours on casual sex, but it shows how strict the rules around the workplace can be for employers. 

Transport costs

Maybe you have agreed to work somewhere that’s closer to home. If so, an  employer is expected to cover half the cost 50 percent of subscription tickets for travel on public transport, or cycle rental, between their usual residence and their place of work.

If remote working is part-time, say one or two days per week, the level of support provided by the employer remains identical to that of an employee who is permanently with the company.

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