Five weeks vacation, recurring cigarette-espresso breaks and two hour lunches are among the stereotypes perpetuated about French work culture and I can say from experience, only two of three are still true today. Lingering over glasses of wine and copious lunch plates for two hours is a habit rapidly slipping from convention as is the notion that the French are unproductive.
It occurred to me recently that my career actually began in France. I worked retail in the States throughout college but nothing full-time and nothing I intended to make a lifelong vocation. That said, my reference is slanted and I base much of my understanding of American work-culture on what I remember and what my close friends and family describe. My professional experiences in Paris have all been part of an international context and so I’ve been exposed to the work styles and ethics of individuals from all over the world. This also means that my observations about French work culture reflect a very specific sector – advertising/comm/web (where business suits raise eyebrows) – but are likely applicable to other global industries.
When I first set out to do a post about work culture, I used my husband’s environment as a comparison –…
