France bans smartphones in schools - The Washington Post:
When French students return to school in September, they’ll have to leave one of their most prized possessions at home — their smartphones.
French lawmakers on Monday passed legislation banning students as old as 15 from bringing smartphones and tablets to school, or at least requiring that they be turned off. Officials in support of the new rule described the policy as a way to shield children from addictive habits and to safeguard the sanctity of the classroom.
New French Law Bars Work Email After Hours - Fortune
January 1, 2017
A new French law establishing workers’ “right to disconnect” goes into effect today. The law requires companies with more than 50 employees to establish hours when staff should not send or answer emails. The goals of the law include making sure employees are fairly paid for work, and preventing burnout by protecting private time.
French legislator Benoit Hamon, speaking to the BBC, described the law as an answer to the travails of employees who “leave the office, but they do not leave their work. They remain attached by a kind of electronic leash—like a dog.”
http://fortune.com/2017/01/01/french-right-to-disconnect-law/
bluebottle
What I meant was that one can accept 24/7 on-call or find another job if one doesn't like it. I'm not shedding any tears over French workers. They are guaranteed ten weeks paid vacation per year. I guess it's okay until they run out of money like Greece and then demand that the Germans save them.
No thanks, I'll stick with capitalism. To each his own.
Truman...
Thanks for your comments and it is true that the French do have some very liberal labour laws and/or employer-union based labour contracts.
All other labour related issues aside, doesn't it make sense for the world's employees to have some downtime, some time to themselves, rather than being on call 24/7.
BTW... I did give a thumbs up for your comments, as I do for everyone who responds to my discussions, regardless of whether I agree with the comments or not.
I'm strongly against smartphones in schools. I was lucky to quit that job when only one of two hundred of my students had a phone, some simple device with no Internet connection. My mum usually starts her lesson from collecting the phones into a box. Otherwise it's impossible to teach. Students take photos of the task and get the solution from the Internet in no time. But it's no use trying to bring your phone to exam in Moscow and teachers are responsible for the result. Yes. If there are students who are unwilling or unable to learn, teachers who happen to work in their class will have lower salary after they fail at the exam.
As for the second law, it's a good reminder for employers that they are not slave owners. Work isn't the only thing a person has in his life. One should have valid reasons to interfere in others' life. Most "urgent" things can easily wait till the following business day.
