ARE FRENCH PEOPLE LAZY?

With France's retirement age changing from 62 to 64 years old, the stereotype of French people being lazy is all over the news. Let's talk about French history, the right to strike, French productivity and their work-life balance and try to determine an answer to, "Are French people lazy?" and one major cultural difference that impacts the way the world sees the French.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Salut! I'm Diane, an American who has lived in France since 2012 and the creator of the blog/YouTube channel Oui In France. My channel's focus is "Everyday French life and beyond." I make videos on French culture topics, France vs. US culture comparisons, food, travel, language, and give you my thoughts about what it's like living in France as an American in the Loire Valley. Thanks for being here and if you enjoy this sort of thing, please share with friends and subscribe!

❤️ / / B L O G

▶️ / / F O L L O W

▶️ *HEALTH, FITNESS & FOOD* 💪

▶️ *TRAVEL* ✈️

▶️ *FASHION* 👚

Disclosure: The description box contains affiliate links where I may make a small commission on purchases made through my links, at no additional cost to you.
#frenchculture #francenews #frenchstereotypes

[celiastacey]

I've worked in France for a French company, with almost exclusively French people since 2010. After working in the UK I find the French much more hard working and conscientious than the English on the whole. My employer is the best I have ever worked for and people really do come first.

The whole attitude of the French is different and family and life outside of work comes first, but while they are at work, they give 110%.

[smlorrin]

As an American who worked at a multi-national corporation in the past, I've worked with quite a few French people, and they've all been extremely hard working and very good at their jobs.

[ladyteruki]

I know this is not a video about the pension reform, but something that escapes a lot of non-French commentators is that 64 is the minimum age for retirement, but doesn't guarantee a full pension. For a lot of people, 67 is the effective age to get a pension above the poverty line. And this is not the first time the age of retirement was raised, it used to be 60 not that long ago.
In short, French people see they're being screwed (and lying to them by pretending that EVERYONE will get a pension above 1200€ didn't help). We have a system deemed one of the best in the world... and it's being dismantled.

[Sayitlikitiz]

My coworker who knows I'm part French, came to ask me what was happening in France, her husband's niece is in Brussels, France (🤣) and they are wondering if she is in danger. I asked her to stop watching Fox News and explained that Brussels is in Belgium, and that's another country. "No! They speak French", she answered. I said we kicked them out of France centuries ago because they told bad jokes and loved oysters. She was relieved. Desolé les belges, je vous aime. 🤣😂

[jerrodsix]

I support the French work ethic. Less working hours, more vacation, and still more productive. They have their priorities correct.

[danrichardson]

As an American, I admire the French's habit of protesting/ having strikes that keep their standard of living high. In the USA, corporations have brainwashed us into doing things that don't increase our standard of living, but increase the corporations profits, things like not using PTO, voting against formations of Unions, insisting we answer phone calls and emails while off the clock.

[Theo-vtgt]

I really laugh when people realize that giving people more vacations, free time and ways to be a little bit more happy actually makes them wanting to work harder and more. Like it's a ground breaking news that treating people like shit and machines makes things far worse than releasing the leash a bit.

I'm a bit bitter, sorry for the bad language... I just feel like some countries should maybe do a better job for their work ethic because it's proven that stress, anxiety and other things that grinding culture leads to just makes a good system die overtime

[steph]

as a french who worked abroad (not the US though) jobs like hotel cleaner or fast food restaurant work. what was expected from me abroad was less than what was expected from me at home. I sometimes had the coworkers complaining to me that I should slow down or the boss would ask more from them.
made no sense to me at the time but now I understand if you're expected to do longer hours and no vacation you can't work so fast or else your health is going to suffer, even worse if you don't have proper acces to healthcare.

[tinabraxton]

You can be more productive if you're not collapsing from exhaustion, when your life isn't imploding from things that need attention you can't find time for, and if your kids don't have to raise themselves. I haven't heard anything about French employers starving, so I think French people work enough.

[christianmarcel]

Thanks for saying French people aren’t lazy. I won’t say the opposite, they’re very hard working, but there are a few things that haven’t been mentioned and that are very important to know:
Half of the country doesn’t work at 35h/week, they have the “cadre” status and work much more, usually from 9am to 7pm or even 8pm.
The retirement age impacts only a minority of the population as we actually all have to work 43 years before being able to retire with the full pension. Meaning that if you start working after a master’s degree at about 24 years old, you’ll go on retirement at 67 anyway.
This age thing has been a symbol to actually protest against the other modifications brought by this new law.
Finally, people are also protesting against Macron’s way of governing, as we say here, as a king. He’s overiding both chambers to impose laws using a specific law allowing governments to do that. The thing is that it’s expected to use it only in few cases but he has been using it 11 times in less than a year and people are outraged by the way this government imposes laws over riding the congress. This results in a democratic crisis since the congress is elected by the people and represents the people. It is expected to vote laws the government wants to implement.
So a large part of the protests are actually protesting against this government, more than just about rising the retirement age.

Please, watch this and you’ll have some surprises, like many European countries actually have more vacation time than France and some other surprises:


I worked 6 years in Boston in 2 different comoanies, and I can tell you I was working much less than in France.

[carmelasantana]

I'm living in France at the moment, and the French, as a people, are definitely not lazy. I find the attitude from people in other countries calling out the French for defending their hard-earned rights rather interesting and disheartening: Instead of saying "the French are lazy/spoiled for wanting xx - look at us, we have it so much worse, they should be grateful, " those people might be better off examining the situation and think, "Well, could we do something like this?" It's better to make things better for oneself and future generations, than to be like a "bucket of crabs" and pull others down.

[JHN_D]

*3:10** For 2021, in Sweden, Austria, Iceland, Norway, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark and Germany, this number is lower than in France!!! But NOBODY will dare to say these people are lazy...NOBODY! it's just that some Anglo-saxon people love to spread lies and clichés about the French!!!*

[matthewjay]

Having worked in France for 2 years, I can say: happy people work very well. 🇺🇸🤝🇫🇷

[pierregagnon]

It's also important to mention it's 64 + 43 years of work, so if you start to work at 23, it will be 66 (with a limit at 67). Just before we raised it to 64, the effective age of retirement on average was 63.5.

[NovaStar]

Brava!!! You summed it up in 2 qutoes: The French work to live not live to work and they prioritize people over profit!

[mitchfr]

There is also one difference you don't mention, and it's a big part of why French workers are efficient : since we have a contract with our boss, we have an impetus to perform - giving a fair wage is the boss' responsibility, fulfilling the objectives is the worker's.
And, after discussing it with US residents, that's the main part of the difference : a French worker will get the job done, one way or another (including : discussing the problem with the team, asking for help, looking for alternative solutions etc.) - during work hours.
Outside of work hours, we have a life to live. Then, you can try and relate how efficient a well-rested worker is compared to a stressed-out overworked one.
Heck, the whole world grilled the French on the 35 hour week, but a couple years later UK banks experimented with the 32-hour week - productivity went through the roof.

[kalina]

thank you sm for this video! I’m so tired of people calling us lazy.. we are not! we just enjoy life and don’t live to work like you said, which is literally normal 😅 (at least for me)

[bgraham]

As an American who has worked for decades in France, I would like to point out a few things about French labor conflicts. First, the vast majority of work stoppages take place in public sector companies or administrations. Just a few years back, the SNCF, France's rail network accounted for 20% or all work days lost to labor conflicts. France has an incredibly centralized system, where all important decisions are made in Paris. When I was working in a French university, I was stunned to find that no-one on site has the power to make decisions about budgets or curricula. So strikes are often the only way for French workers to make their voices heard in such a centralized system.
On the retirement front, there is a dizzying array of "caisses" which French workers pay into and their ability to one day collect on their retirement contributions is very uncertain. Some people get very generous retirement benefits, often before the age of 62, especially public servants and employees of the SNCF or EDF (electrical monopoly), while others receive far more modest benefits. Also it should be noted that a large proportion of the people over 55 are no longer employed, while being ineligible for retirement. By lifting the retirement age, this group simply has to make do by whatever means possible until they reach legal retirement age.
I have found most of my French colleagues to be very hard-working.

[milobellus]

If someone out of France thinks that we are lazy, they truly should question themselves and look at their lives before criticizing others. The fact others nations say that we shouldn't complain because our age retirement is low compared to others countries is getting me so mad. It's not because you (others countries) weren't able/allowed to contest your governement choices that we'll do the same. You're not allowed to criticize the ones that can and use that right to express their discontent. I guess if we're listening to them we should only start complaining when we'll have the same age retirement as them... which is completely dumb. Why would we stop complaining because THEY consider we shouldn't complaining ? Are you losing your mind ? Are you forgetting who you're talking about ? You're talking about french people, stubborn as hell, we'll do as we please ! BAGUETTE

Thanks for your video Diane ! I hope it'll enlighten some closed minded people

[blandinesoleilperso]

As a French citizen working in France for an American company and working daily with US colleagues, very good analysis !