Asking to leave work on time or taking some time off can be tricky enough. Even trickier is tendering a resignation, which can be seen as the ultimate form of disrespect in the world’s fourth-biggest economy, where workers traditionally stick with one employer for decades, if not for a lifetime.
In the most extreme cases, grumpy bosses rip up resignation letters and harass employees to force them to stay.
Yuki Watanabe was unhappy at her previous job, saying her former supervisor often ignored her, making her feel bad. But she didn’t dare resign.
“I didn’t want my ex-employer to deny my resignation and keep me working for longer,” she told CNN during a recent interview.
I have seen this in France in the 90s, but more to the bare maximum, 8-8 or 9-9, without being paid overtime of course. Part of why I moved to Canada doing 9-5 or 8-4
I’m pretty sure that’s not legal.
My knowledge of the French labor laws is roughly 0, but France is not exactly known for having lax regulations in that regard.
And at least in Germany, it’s straight up illegal to work more than 10h a day.
Of course it’s illegal, my friend worked for EDF-GDF (electric gas utilities, government owned) and always came home at 8 or 9PM. If he leaves at 6PM everyone will look at him, sweating, because he left the afternoon.
Don’t know if it changed in 2024
But they told me French works 35h per week ! /s
… We do. I’d definitely resign from a place that expects me to spend 12 hours at work, and it’s illegal for the company for you to do too much overtime (the limit it 35 hours per year, doublable once if the employee asks the local authority in writing)
I really, truly love how little crap the French people will accept from their government and employers. Y’all do it right.