Topic: France

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French employment code reform: Focus on homeworking

Global Workplace InsiderFrançois GuillonBy Elodie Grangier and François Guillon on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
French President Emmanuel Macron has signed five ordinances making important changes to several aspects of the French employment code. The ordinances, which were immediately published in the French Official Journal on September 23rd, 2017, are aimed in particular at providing employers more flexibility and predictability in labour-management relations. Several provisions of this ambitious reform (the … Continue reading

Use of social media in France: Employee’s rights and obligations

Global Workplace InsiderFrançois GuillonBy Elodie Grangier and François Guillon on Posted in Contracts, Data privacy and GDPR, Europe, France
The impact of the use of social media in the workplace has regularly given rise to controversies and debates as how this subject is to be handled by a company’s management. The current state of employment law is still not entirely settled in this respect. It is however possible to provide some guidance on the … Continue reading

Significant changes to French employment code to enter into force no later than January 1st, 2018

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
French President Emmanuel Macron has signed five ordinances making important changes to several aspects of the French employment code. The ordinances, which were immediately published in the French Official Journal on September 23rd, 2017, are aimed in particular at providing employers more flexibility and predictability in labour-management relations. Several provisions of this ambitious reform – … Continue reading

Record number of mutual termination agreements signed in France

Global Workplace InsiderFrançois GuillonBy Elodie Grangier and François Guillon on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
According to the data published by the French labour administration, mutual termination agreements (ruptures conventionnelles) have never been so popular. Indeed, in June 2017, more than 35,700 mutual terminations agreements have been validated by the French labour Administration. But why are mutual termination agreements so popular? First, mutual termination agreements represent – for the employer and … Continue reading

The (latest) reform of the French employment code is ongoing

Global Workplace InsiderCamille ChabrolinBy Elodie Grangier and Camille Chabrolin on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
As part of candidate Emmanuel Macron’s program during the Presidential elections campaign, a substantial reform of the French employment Code was promised. After his election as President, French commentators anticipated new changes would be implemented quickly, given Emmanuel Macron’s indications that he wished to go ahead as soon as possible, without too much debate before … Continue reading

What French employers must do in case of heatwave?

Global Workplace InsiderCamille ChabrolinBy Elodie Grangier and Camille Chabrolin on Posted in Europe, France
Summer is coming and temperatures are rising and may become unbearable, especially for these employees working outdoors / performing manual labour. Too much warmth can affect employees and can cause exhaustion, headache, fainting, or dehydration. Therefore the impact on employees’ health can be significant. From a French employment law perspective, employers have a very general … Continue reading

Do employees who are pregnant or on maternity leave enjoy any special protection in the event of redundancy in France?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
As is the case in many other countries (particularly countries in the European Union, which are covered by EU Directive 92/85/CEE dated 19 October 1992), France has implemented a full set of rules with the goal of protecting pregnant employees or employees on maternity leave against illegitimate termination of their employment contract. These protections also … Continue reading

Human resources managers can be indirectly liable for harassment

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
Health and safety of employees is highly protected in France. Employers are  responsible for the prevention of any damage to their employees’ health and safety resulting from their work. Amongst other things, French law requires employers to ensure that their employees are protected from any harassment at work. But another provision of the French Employment … Continue reading

Le devoir de vigilance : une obligation renforcée

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Europe, France
L’obligation de vigilance est une obligation faite aux entreprises de prévenir les risques sociaux, environnementaux et de gouvernance lié à leurs activités. La loi du 27 mars 2017 relative au devoir de vigilance des sociétés mères et des entreprises donneuses d’ordre, publiée le 28 mars 2017 au Journal Officiel, renforce l’obligation de vigilance. Le devoir … Continue reading

What is the latest on employees’ rights in the event of redundancy in France?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Europe, France
Dismissing an employee due to economic difficulties is extremely delicate in France. A law dated 8th August 2016 has specified the definition of the economic grounds for dismissals, providing that economic difficulties are, in particular, characterized by a significant evolution of an indicator such as a significant drop of turnover, a significant drop in purchase … Continue reading

When an employer hides another employer

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier and Pauline Disdier on Posted in Europe, France
Dual employment is a sensitive subject in French employment law as it enables employees to raise claims against a different employer from that with which the employment contract was signed. The matrix-type organisation of groups of companies, which has become the rule, can have adverse consequences if employees have the feeling that they are employed … Continue reading

Update regarding protection against religion-based discrimination in France

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Contracts, Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
In France, the issue of religious behavior in the workplace is extremely sensitive. The principle under French employment law is that while public sector employers are required to enforce a policy of strict neutrality, in private sector companies, a balance must be maintained between the principle of secularism and the prohibition of discrimination based on … Continue reading

New protection of French whistleblowers under the Sapin II Law

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France, Whistleblowing
Much attention was focused recently on President Obama’s decision, in the final days of his presidency, on commuting the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who provided certain classified information to WikiLeaks. In France, new legislation has recently been passed and implemented harmonizing the protection of whistleblowing employees (https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do;jsessionid=4BBFD240827AF0FD9A6340FF254E6F1B.tpdila21v_3?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000033558528&categorieLien=id). Who is concerned? Under the new regulation, whistleblowers … Continue reading

Key French employment law developments in 2017

Global Workplace InsiderBy Elodie Grangier on Posted in France
As 2017 is a Presidential election year in France, we do not expect major changes in employment legislation to occur in France in the near future.  However, this does not mean that French employment lawyers will be unoccupied. First and foremost, the El Khomri law (dated 8 August 2016), which significantly modified the employment law … Continue reading

Class action against workplace discrimination

Global Workplace InsiderBy Pauline Disdier on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
In France, employees who suffer from workplace discrimination are entitled to bring claims against their employer. Workplace discrimination is strictly prohibited and is characterized when a person is treated less favorably than another because of his or her origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, physical appearance, health, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political opinions, trade … Continue reading

The new French “right to disconnect”

Laure JoncourBy Laure Joncour on Posted in Europe, France
French law has recently implemented the “right to disconnect” from digital tools, requiring employers to limit employees’ use of digital tools outside of office hours. The purpose of the new legislation is to protect the employees’ work-life balance and their right to rest periods. New article L 2242-8 of the French Labour Code provides that … Continue reading

What rights do workers have to rest breaks in France?

Laure JoncourBy Laure Joncour on Posted in Europe, France
French regulations strictly supervise employees’ working time, which may not exceed a certain limit and must include break time and minimum rest periods. Not only must the employer comply with these obligations, but in the event of litigation, the employer must be in a position to produce evidence that it has done so. Each employee … Continue reading

An employee alleging harassment at work cannot be the object of a claim for defamation by the employer

Anne-Laure BraquehayeBy Anne-Laure Braquehaye on Posted in Europe, France
In France, employees alleging harassment enjoy legal protection against any retaliation by their employer. The employee cannot be made subject to sanctions as a consequence of such allegations, whether by outright dismissal or some lesser sanction. Obviously, there are some caveats around this, including the requirement that the employee have made such allegation of harassment … Continue reading

What protections and rights exist for part-time employees?

Anne-Laure BraquehayeBy Anne-Laure Braquehaye on Posted in Europe, France
Under French employment law, part-time employees enjoy rights identical to those granted to full-time employees by law, collective bargaining agreements and company agreements employees. Consequently, there exists a principle of equality between part-time and full-time employees, such that part-time employees enjoy either the same or proportional rights as those so full-time employees. Part-time employees enjoy … Continue reading

A warning for a slap : is it reasonable ?

Judicaël FouquetBy Judicaël Fouquet on Posted in Europe, France
Under French employment law, the definition of a disciplinary sanction is broad as it is defined by law as being “any measure, other than a verbal observation, taken by an employer in response to an act of an employee which the employer considers incorrect, whether or not such measure has an immediate effect upon the … Continue reading

What are the latest developments on whistleblowing in the workplace?

Judicaël FouquetBy Judicaël Fouquet on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
French employment law does not yet provide for a comprehensive and consistent set of rules for the purpose of protecting whistleblowers. Instead, French employment law tackles issues arising out of whistleblowing situations through a relatively meager set of legislative provisions. Current legislation Under currently applicable legislation, no employee can be disciplined, dismissed or discriminated against … Continue reading

What measures are in place (or being proposed) to address gender pay inequality in the workplace in France ?

Judicaël FouquetBy Judicaël Fouquet on Posted in Discrimination and harassment, Europe, France
Gender pay inequality remains a topical issue in France despite the introduction of numerous pieces of legislation intended to suppress the persistent pay gap in average remuneration between women and men. Although French employment law theoretically prohibits any discrimination based on gender and requires that employers ensure equal remuneration between women and men occupying a … Continue reading
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