6 French Work Culture Myths That Need to Die

2. Lunches

Lingering over glasses of wine and copious lunch plates for two hours is a habit rapidly slipping from convention as is the notion that the French are unproductive. Companies that do not have an on-site cafeteria generally offer partially subsidized meal vouchers (tickets restaurants or tickets resto) worth between 6.50-10€. Meals in company cafeterias are also inexpensive and quite varied. The shift to eating-on-the-go (or eating-behind-screen, as it were) is increasingly prevalent where meal vouchers are provided.

3. Political correctness

Crude jokes, sexual innuendos, culture bashing and general inappropriateness have, at one time or another, shocked the puritan sensibilities of many Anglo-saxons. I like to tease my colleagues by reminding them how many lawsuits they’d likely have against them if we were in America to which they giggle riotously. Though I’m still not impervious to their blows, living in France has shown me how unnecessarily uptight most of us (Americans) are, with a tendency to conflate innocent joking with harassment. Of course there are exceptions to this and I’ve seen the French take things too far. La Mom recalls having her American accent ridiculed in an interview – more than just un-PC, it’s plain unprofessional.

4. Health Insurance

I have French healthcare (sécurité sociale) but most large companies require employees to take supplementary coverage called a mutuelle. The fees per month vary but can range anywhere from 20-30€ depending on the plan and amount of coverage you choose.

5. Cigarettes and coffee breaks

Cigarettes and coffee motivate breaks almost every hour. In most cases, business is discussed between puffs and sips but you can always tell when a meeting has run too long by the frantic tapping of cigarette packs on the table. Work hours are growing longer and longer in many industries which begs the question – is there more work or is it to compensate for all the breaks? Likely a mix of the two.

6. Friendliness

I’m always surprised by how much personal information is shared among colleagues during work hours. Illnesses, family matters, money troubles, work complaints – dirty laundry is aired freely both in and out of the office. Unlike the uber-American cubicle, open-space setups help to facilitate these sorts of discussions. Similarly, post-work apéros and dinners are as common and frequent as lunching together during the day – decline too many offers and you’ll find yourself branded the outcast for lack of integration. The separation between professional and personal life, at least in my current experience, appears blurred.