France's new UK import: Friday office beers
The French have traditionally drawn a strict line between work and pleasure, but now the Anglo-Saxon habit of bringing the beers into the office on a Friday afternoon is taking off in Gallic workplaces.
And whereas that other Anglo import, le binge drinking’, has been met with dismay, the new habit of colleagues sharing a beer in their open-plan offices is meeting with a warmer welcome.
According to le Figaro, ‘Beer Friday’ is becoming widespread in start-ups and creative workplaces. Baptiste Fluzin, a creative director, said his previous office brought in the beers every week:
“We did it at the office because we felt more relaxed there: it’s cheaper than in a bar and you can get something to eat and put on some music,” he told le Figaro.
The increasing popularity of office drink comes after widespread reports in French newspapers about American workplaces encouraging after-work beers - or in the famous case of tech company Dropbox, Friday whiskies.
Surveying its readers on Twitter, le Figaro found that office drinks were becoming a habit in many workplaces.
But the paper points out that letting employees drink at work could break France’s labyrinthine labour laws.
According to these, wine, beer, cider and perry are permitted in workplaces, but letting people drink spirits is against the law. So bring on the beers, but try to get the party started with a bottle of whisky and you could land your boss on the wrong side of a gendarme.
SEE ALSO: What drives expats mad about working in France
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And whereas that other Anglo import, le binge drinking’, has been met with dismay, the new habit of colleagues sharing a beer in their open-plan offices is meeting with a warmer welcome.
According to le Figaro, ‘Beer Friday’ is becoming widespread in start-ups and creative workplaces. Baptiste Fluzin, a creative director, said his previous office brought in the beers every week:
“We did it at the office because we felt more relaxed there: it’s cheaper than in a bar and you can get something to eat and put on some music,” he told le Figaro.
The increasing popularity of office drink comes after widespread reports in French newspapers about American workplaces encouraging after-work beers - or in the famous case of tech company Dropbox, Friday whiskies.
Surveying its readers on Twitter, le Figaro found that office drinks were becoming a habit in many workplaces.
But the paper points out that letting employees drink at work could break France’s labyrinthine labour laws.
According to these, wine, beer, cider and perry are permitted in workplaces, but letting people drink spirits is against the law. So bring on the beers, but try to get the party started with a bottle of whisky and you could land your boss on the wrong side of a gendarme.
SEE ALSO: What drives expats mad about working in France
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