June 13, 2007

French Go for the Gold

There are many theories about why the French, despite their love of cheese and goose liver, are healthier than we are. Perhaps it's the wine, some say hopefully, especially in Napa, where the economy would benefit from the notion of wine as health food. Others speculate that their better physical condition is due to the fact that the French walk more than Americans.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. The real reason they are healthier is that they don't work themselves to death like we do.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is out to change that. The reason? The maximum 35-hour work week (until 2005 mandated by law) means France isn't keeping up with the rest of the developed nations in terms of productivity.

President Sarkozy is planning to address this problem by "restoring the values of hard work and rewarding people who get up early" according to a recent Reuters story.

One issue that's keeping the French out of medal competition in the Productivity Olympics is the tradition of greeting everyone by kissing on both cheeks. In a large office, kicking that habit could save upwards of thirty minutes a day. The American way of saying a quick, "How are ya?" as you pass your colleagues in the hallway may not be as civilized, but it's so much more efficient. You don't even have to break stride. Besides, kissing your colleagues can land you in court in this country.

Then there's the lunch hour. The French don't eat at their desks. They go to a café, have a leisurely meal, perhaps enjoy a glass of wine and stroll back to the office, refreshed and ready to take on new challenges. If they want to be more productive, they should grab a bag of Doritos and a Red Bull and power straight through like we do. If they have to have their precious cheese, they can get in out of a machine in a little cellophane package with crackers and a little plastic spreader.

We Americans treasure our two weeks of yearly vacation time. Our French friends generally enjoy between 5 and 8 weeks of vacation a year. They spend the time with family. They don't hoard their free days in order to cash them out at retirement. Nor do they labor extra hours for their employers when they could be enjoying the good things in life. You know, the things like home and family that we purport to hold as our highest values.

So now the French, despite the fact that they despise us, want their workers to emulate us. They want people to work harder, be more motivated by money, and in general, trash their whole quality of life in favor of national productivity. In other words, they should be workaholics like us.

If the French government has its way, Frenchmen will work longer hours, take shorter vacations, forget those ridiculous strikes they like to engage in, and buckle down to work.

Good luck with that. I hope they are prepared for the resulting issues of neglected children, stress-related health problems, and civic disengagement that plague countries where people work too long and hard.

Say goodbye to those long lunches with friends, the month by the seaside with the children and your robust good health, mes amis. Welcome to life in the fast lane.