French workers have been told they “don’t work enough”, as rising absenteeism threatens to ruin the country’s economy. The government is attempting to crack down on people calling in sick to work.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is hoping to “reconcile the French with work”, saying people are “increasingly dissatisfied with their public services” despite the country spending more on benefits than many of its neighbours. In an attempt to cut down France’s deficit, Bayrou has proposed scrapping two public holidays, pressuring doctors not to give out as many sick notes, capping sick days and making workers tell employers specifically how they’re ill.
In France, nearly 6% of private sector workers are off sick at any given time, and absenteeism has gone up 40% in the last five years. The country has one of the highest levels of absence in Europe, at least double that of the UK.
Between 2014 and 2022, the number of public servants taking sick leave rose by 79%. The cost of these absences is estimated at up to £69 billion.
The number of people staying off work for “psychosocial” conditions has soared since the pandemic, with workers claiming “le burn-out” and its newer English import, “le bore-out”.
These plans were announced last week during the Prime Minister’s budget speech. But the proposals have sparked outrage among Opposition. Unions have accused the government of trying to “destroy the health of the French”.
Barely 7% of French employees say they feel committed to their work compared with 33% in America, according to a 2023 Gallup survey.
Changing this may force a change to what an expert called “the French management model, which is hyper-present and controlling”. Benoît Serre, a former deputy head of the national association of human resources directors, said employees must feel valued and useful.
Parliament is set to vote on Bayrou’s 2026 budget this autumn. President Macron’s centrist grouping has no parliamentary majority, so it must win support to pass the bill.