One day I was sitting in a French company watching a respected CEO record a video. When his staff videographer accidentally ruined a take, he yelled at her in front of a room full of employees. She blushed and tried not to cry. He was flaunting his authority.
Half the world dreams of moving to Paris for the 35-hour work weeks (unrealistic in the upper echelons of Paris) and long lunches (often practical), but working for a French company is a dream. What does it actually feel like? Having lived in Paris since 2002, I’m fascinated by the differences between its work culture and those of its rival cities, London and New York.
French workplace norms often surprise foreigners. It has shocking weaknesses (such as general mistrust) and major strengths (quality of work, work-life balance). As France globalizes, creeping changes are also occurring. A guide to navigating the modern French workplace, based on interviews with foreign and French employees.
how to beat the boss
The most notable feature of the French office is the all-powerful, and in most departments, usually male boss. Work hierarchies in France tend to be relatively ‘vertical’. A British woman who worked for a luxury goods company in Paris said she observed “a kind of cult of leader worship”.
Bosses are usually graduates of the elite Grandes Écoles, and even a 60-year-old chief executive is likely to still refer to their alma mater (yes, even more so than in the UK). As Swede Anders Vogelström, a former CEO of France, explained to me: He should not be the arbiter of decentralization of power. Bosses need to not only persuade, but also seduce. ”This is a matter of personal attitude.
Le sexe and sexisme
I would also like to add that as #MeToo finally takes root in French workplaces, attempts at literal seduction are decreasing. There have also been several recent rape trials against prominent French figures, including the most famous rape trial in French history, the rape trial of Gisele Pericot’s husband and the dozens of men he invited to rape her. Needless to say, the case is expected to be concluded by Christmas. Delphine Dilley, who produced the documentary Sex Without Consent (Sex Without Consent), says of everyday sexism in the workplace: “It doesn’t necessarily mean that men are less arrogant, but… I feel like women are becoming less tolerant.”
tactics and strategy
It seems that subordinates still rarely challenge their bosses. Pierre Fortom, an executive coach who works with senior executives in France, said those in charge “will emphasize feedback and teamwork.” they don’t want to be alone. But the system puts them in this position of power so that we can bash the elites for their problems. ”
Corporate decisions are rarely made in formal meetings. A French boss may consult only a few trusted lieutenants behind closed doors. (This is also President Emmanuel Macron’s preferred method.) Adds an American who works at a bank in Paris: “The tough part is how to become one of the trusted vice presidents.” One strategy is to convey your ideas to your boss and hope that you will bring him glory and rise with him. Sure, this may sound like universal boss behavior, but it’s probably more pronounced in Paris.
Very few executives understand the way their boss thinks from the start. The banker says: “Communication is intentionally uneven. You can get privileged information based on who you know and how much you are trusted.”
Strict hierarchical relationships create distrust in labor-management relations. The company’s “socio-economic committee” is made up of elected employees and trade union representatives, and is often at odds with bosses. But Vogelstrom says bosses can win their interlocutors’ acquiescence by offering modest perks, such as the use of a company car.
How to avoid getting fired
Posted in every workplace is the Labor Code, France’s labor code. Many employees can enumerate their legal rights like a trained lawyer. Those who achieve the holy grail of obtaining the CDI, the contrat à durée indéterminée (“indefinite contract”), the layperson’s equivalent of academic tenure, will rarely be fired. This currently applies to around 73 percent of all workers in France, including civil servants, who are extremely difficult to dismiss. That means companies need to find other ways to lay off unnecessary employees. In some cases, the person may be given something in return. Another favorite method is placarding. Figuratively put employees in cupboards, put placards on them, and give them meaningless work or no work at all. It’s an exercise in humiliation. That person may sit and read the newspaper for years until he agrees to retire.
golden cage and glass ceiling
The lack of dismissal forms the unique atmosphere of the French workplace. Most CDI employees eventually lose ambition. That’s because top jobs still tend to be reserved for male graduates of grandes écoles. A French-Senegalese consultant living in Paris also said, “There is a glass ceiling for blacks and Arabs.” When black employees speak up in meetings, he says, they are rarely taken seriously.
Those who are excluded may stay in jobs they hate for decades. But few people have the courage to trade CDI for a terrifying life the French call precarity: unstable, often temporary work, or no work at all. The American banker says many long-term employees in France end up trapped in a “golden cage”. The American mentality of “let’s work hard and grow the company” is almost non-existent here. ”
Many of the people involved in the company have known each other for decades. However, sociologists consider France a “low trust” country, and that also applies to most French workplaces. A French-Senegalese consultant said department heads often behave like rivals in a “turf war.” Again, this happens everywhere, but perhaps even more so in France.
language of lunch
It is rare that a strong “team spirit” is established throughout the company. However, trust can be built between individuals at lunchtime, which is usually an important place where gossip and other information is exchanged. If a colleague invites you to lunch, no matter how busy you are, be sure to say yes, advises a French lawyer. You can also buy a sandwich at a bakery or, if possible, eat a prix-fixe menu at a local restaurant. Given the efficiency of Parisian kitchens, you can be in and out in 45 minutes. Smokers can also catch some juicy gossip while chillingly huddled in front of the building.
To build trust and understand the company’s undercurrents in moments like these, speaking French is still essential, even if English is now prevalent in some French companies. Vogelstrom explains: “No one trusts anyone. If you’re a foreigner, you’re naive by definition because you don’t understand the unspoken rules.”
Assistance with champagne, etc.
French workers spend relatively little social time together other than lunch. After-work drinks and Christmas parties are rare, but there will be toasts for those leaving for 25 years of French retirement. Employees are not expected to work their hardest or post pictures of their children. You are allowed to take your child to the doctor, but do so with caution. Your coworkers don’t need to know every ins and out about your family. French workers are allowed to separate their personal lives and prioritize them. The OECD reports that full-time workers in France spend an average of 16.2 hours a day on “personal care (eating, sleeping, etc.) and leisure,” the second highest amount after Italy among 41 developed countries. There is. While mid-level people in a Paris office may adhere to the official 35-hour week or take extra time off if they work late, some at the top routinely work longer days. Some people work. Most offices will effectively close in August and employees will disappear without incident.
The American banker points out the positive aspects of the French workplace: Our union gives us subsidized vacations and subsidized champagne. ” She believes she is better off than her peers who earn four times as much in the U.S., who fear being laid off as soon as the economy takes a turn for the worse.
occupation, occupation, occupation
A British expat who worked in a luxury hotel in France said of another strength of the French workplace: “The team I worked with had an incredible attention to detail and took great pride in delivering excellent work.”As degrees here are typically vocational , some employees have specialized in their field since their student days.
Anna Sophia Beetschen, a Swiss doctor working at a hospital in Paris, noticed that her colleagues were proud of their membership in the medical guild. That is why they almost universally wore hospital blouses, even if they had no sanitary benefits. They found status in education and job status rather than salary.
That pride spreads throughout France. “Being a baguette maker or a ski instructor is a calling, not one for dilettantes,” Kevin Bryan, an economist at the University of Toronto, wrote in X magazine. He states that French culture is “not about hard work, but about consideration for work.” This may help explain why hourly productivity in France is around 17% higher than in the UK.
record working
For a glimpse into the future of Parisian work culture, take a look at the Les Coworkings that are springing up across the city and attracting young digital nomads. Julien Carillot, a French technology entrepreneur who spent years coworking, points out how the social aperitif has changed. English became more common and wine and flirting became less common. These changes may later sweep older corporate sectors. Eventually everything will become global, including France’s work culture.
Share your experiences of French office life in the comments section below. Follow FT Globetrotter (@FTGlobetrotter) on Instagram.
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