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Ten reasons why France is a great place to work

With all the talk about record unemployment in France and all the locals seemingly heading to the exits as quick as they can to find work abroad The Local looks at the top ten reasons why expats should be happy to work in France, in spite of the strikes and the strife.

Published: 29 November 2013 17:49 CET
Ten reasons why France is a great place to work
Top Ten reasons why France is a great place to work. Photo: Fdcomite/flickr

Recent figures and surveys suggest more and more young French people are heading through departures gate at France’s airports to find work in foreign climes.

And then there are the reports of strikes and mass redundancies – all of which give the impression that France is slowly but surely shutting down.

But while you might hear complaints from sections of the French population about the state of the country, you're less likely to hear moaning from foreigners who work here.

That's because many recognize the benefits of working in a country that, even if there's plenty of strife and strikes going on around them, is still a great place to work. 

“Don’t be pessimistic,” Christopher Chantrey from the British in France community organization tells The Local, in a message to anyone thinking about coming to France to find work.

“People should not be put off. It’s definitely worth a try even if it’s just for the benefit of opening your mind and seeing how things work in France compared to the Anglo approach.

“Hopefully we are now seeing signs of an economic recovery too, so things might be looking more positive soon,” he said.

On the job front, it's not all bad news. There may be record unemployment but there are jobs out there, although temporary contracts are more likely than permanent ones.

“"It's not all doom and gloom," Paris based recruiter Megan Ascione, from EuroLondon Appointments told The Local.

"We have been ok this year and I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. If things haven't worked out for us for some reason, it's not been because there's a lack of jobs out there.

"Expats need to keep that in mind. It's probably similar to the UK. The market is nowhere near as bad as in 2009. There are jobs out there and it's just a question of finding the right one," she said.

Another recruiter, Diana Zaharia said from the agency Jobs in Paris told The Local that their Paris recruitment website was one the top performers among their network. “That certainly wasn’t the case earlier this year.”

But if all this hasn't convinced you then perhaps reading our Top Ten reasons why France is a great country to work in might. Do you agree with them? Tell us what we missed.

 

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WORKING IN FRANCE

The rules on working from home in France

Working from home is increasingly common in France and Paris residents are being urged to consider it during the Olympics - so what rules and protections are in place for employees and employers?

Published: 26 April 2024 13:03 CEST
The rules on working from home in France

The pros and cons of homeworking were thrown into sharp relief during the Covid-19 pandemic – and it seems there are more pros than cons for many employees, who avoid having to commute to work one or more times per week.

For employers, the advantages are sometimes less clear, if articles about the benefits of going into the office are accurate. However, the fashion in France seems to be for a form of hybrid working, with those workers able to do so spending part of the week in the office and the rest working remotely.

Meanwhile some people just do it as needed – for example to avoid transport disruption during a strike or during the Paris Olympics for people who work in areas close to Games venues.

If you do want to work remotely in France – or if your employer has asked you to – are as follows:

Negotiate

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

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.

Either way, it’s considered sensible to have the agreement down in writing so that everyone knows where they stand. It also means that no one will get shouted at during any health and safety inspection.

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 – as well as working time, the agreements may also cover things like whether your company will buy you a special chair and whether you can put in an expenses claim for extra electricity used on your work-from-home days.

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

Contract conditions

Assuming you are not a self-employed contractor, you remain an employee of the company with the same rights and responsibilities you have when working in the office. But if you switch to home-working permanently, your employers must provide written conditions of your 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 – times when your boss can contact you at home, in order to preserve your right to a private life. This will usually be during office hours, obviously. But it also means your boss can’t assume you’ll be tied to your desk permanently just because you don’t have a commute.

READ ALSO URSSAF: What is it, how it works, and how it affects you

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 rules on using office equipment or systems.

Work equipment

Speaking of which… when an employee is working from home, the employer must provide, install and maintain any necessary equipment.

If the employed remote worker uses their own equipment, the employer has to ensure it is appropriate for the job and is maintained. Be aware, self-employed contractors, such as remote-working freelances, will often be expected to have and use their own equipment.

For employees who work from home, however, setting up home-working should not entail any personal additional costs. Employers must supply and maintain equipment that you reasonably need. How that equipment is supplied – whether it’s direct from the employer, or by reimbursement of the cost of setting up a work-station at home, can be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Rules on the use of company equipment at home – including, for example, limits on personal use – will likely remain the same as those in the office, but you should get this in writing before you start any shifts at home.

READ ALSO Micro-entrepreneur: How to set up as a small business in France

Allowances and expenses

Working from home will mean that personal 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 some of 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 any customer and company data used and processed by its employees, including remote workers, whether the worker 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.

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