French Law Giving Workers 'The Right To Disconnect' Goes Into Effect

If you've been glued to your smart phone checking work email throughout the holiday season, you might want to consider relocating. French workers will have the "right to disconnect" outside of work hours, thanks to a new law going into effect Jan 1. Companies with more than 50 employees will be obligated to set up hours — normally during the evening and weekend — when staff are not to send or respond to emails.

The French government said at the time that an intervention was necessary, for the health and well-being of their workers. "All the studies show there is far more work-related stress today than there used to be, and that the stress is constant," said member of parliament Benoit Hamon. "Employees physically leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash - like a dog. The texts, the messages, the emails - they colonize the life of the individual to the point where he or she eventually breaks down."