France is well-known for its 35-hour working week policy. As well, French workers have right to enjoy six weeks paid leave. People believe the French have more striking working rights than Americans. A new policy came out in 2014, says “employers will no longer be allowed to contact staff during the 133 hours of the week designated for rest” (Allen), which means that the French can ignore any phone calls or emails from their bosses after work. Along with the development of the employment laws in France, people from across the globe become more likely to work in France. As well as the basic knowledge people learned from internet, courses, and newspapers showed France has rich welfares. The cognitions make people would like to work or live in France. More and more people choose to move to France today. However, is French work culture more democratic? Does France provide a better work environment than the American environment? The answer is no. Base on the research, the United States has advantages on employment rate, work culture, economic outlook, and salaries. 

When comparing two countries, people have lived there can provide the best answer. Base on a survey of 21,000 people from across the globe. An “Overall Best Countries Ranking” was freshly published on usnews.com. This ranking analyzed and scored sixty-five countries from adventure, citizenship, and the other seven attributes. The United Stated scored a seventh place on the ranking, simultaneously, France scored a ninth place. Even though France seems close to the United States, on the other list, “Best Countries: Entrepreneurship”, the United States is still doing well and made the third place. Surprisingly, France is far behind at number fifteen. This ranking compared the sixty-five countries from ten aspects. Base on the survey data, the United States got full score on “provides easy access to capital”, “connected to the rest of world” (usnews.com) two sections, and a 9.9 out of 10 on “entrepreneurial” (usnews.com). Overall, the United States has scored an overall score of 9.6 out of 10. By contrast, France only got a 7 out of 10 with a 9.9 out of 10 as the highest score. The statistics displayed a universal cognition that the United States has an advantage in providing opportunities, which is quite important to entrepreneurs and employees. Thus, the United States has a better and healthier work environment. 

What is the most important part of working? Salaries. Everyone works for money. The United Stated produced 17.4 trillion dollars (usnews.com) GDP versus France produced 2.8 trillion dollars (usnews.com), which is only sixteen presents on the American GDP. In 2015, the average annual wage in the United States is fifty-eight thousand and seven hundred fourteen U.S. dollars (OECD.stat). The statistics showed American average annual wage steady grew from 1990 to 2015. Base on the statistics and charts, U.S. wages have a rising outlook. France has a forty-one thousand and two hundred fifty-two U.S. dollars (OECD.stat) wage in 2015, which was over two thousand dollars less than the U.S. wage in 1990. France still needs years to catch up or surpass with the U.S. economy. At the same time, living in France costs more money than living in American. For example, “garbage, water, heating electricity for 85 sqm apartment” costs 182.36 dollars monthly in France, but only 162.08 dollars in the U.S. (NationMaster.com). A McDonald’s meal cost 10.24 dollars in France and 6 dollars in the U.S. (NationMaster.com). The United States has some more expensive goods for sure, such as bottled water is fifty-three cents more than French. In general, the United States has lower prices than France. Since people can make more money and cut down budgets. The United States is more suitable to work in and live in. 

Economic outlook decided whether a country will get richer or not. A wealthy country has abilities providing people more comprehensive supplies, including social securities, education, material supplies, medical care, etc. As well, Comparing the economic situation of France and the United States, economics freedom plays an important role. Pierre Lemieux, a certified Project Management Professional and a politician in Canada, has written an article about French economics. In the article, “the French state casts a large shadow over economic freedom”, Lemieux expounds, “In the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, arranged from the freest to the least free, France ranks 75th out of 178 countries, which makes it a ‘moderately free’ country according to the report. The United States ranks 11th, having fallen from the ‘free’ to the ‘mostly free’ category in 2010” (Lemieux 1). With a less free economic environment, France built an unhealthier economic situation than the United States. 

The French are always proud of their welfare system, public expenditures cost “57% of French gross domestic product, the fourth-highest percentage in the OECD, after Greece, Slovenia, and Finland” (Lemieux 1). The huge amount of public expenditures leads to a heavy external debt. France has a higher ratio of public debt to GDP than the United States. Even though the French can enjoy more welfare today, France’s economic capacity is slowing down and the government is slowly losing the ability providing more welfare. This situation caused trepidation of the government for years. The French economy and the government clearly bear a more financial burden. At the same time, the United States is developing steadily. The United States is more able to provide a healthier economy and a more stable job. It’s better to work in the United States. 

The policy difference between the two countries is always a popular topic. The 35-hours week is the most powerful argument of France is better to work in. However, does the policy work as well as people think? In fact, the ruling conservatives are “celebrating the mothballing what they've long derided as the most destructive legacy of Socialist rule: the 35-hour workweek” (Crumley 1). There usually are political conflicts in France since France implements bipartisan policy. Xavier Bertrand, France’s Labor Minister, also the bill’s author, “hailed an ‘historic’ revision of a law conceived by the country's "archaic" left, now in opposition” (Crumley 1). Although the 35-hour workweek remains the reference length of a workweek, employers can demand workers spend more time at work for more money. The French firms can better follow the President Sarkozy’s slogan that works more to earn more. This’s a key campaign slogan of Sarkozy. In an interview, Clise, a person leads the sustainable development department for Areva North America and has work experience in both France and the United States, has told Weinred Group that “U.S. offices are often up and running by 8 a.m., while many of her French colleagues tend to start and end their work days later. While Clise acknowledged that her experience is limited to the private sector, she said she has ‘yet to meet a French colleague who works 35 hours a week.’” (Weinreb).

On the other hand, the 35-hours workweek brings not only benefits but also restraints. An idea is brought out in a show named French Connections, it says the France’s government needs the limited time policy to created more work spaces (French Connections). For that reason, people must compete for higher positions in limited time with more people. Getting higher salaries becomes more difficult since people are not always permitted to work overtime. The situation will cause trouble for the poor. They are only able to make limited money even though they need much more and wish to work longer for it. Similarly, you can hardly get a chance to work longer to get a new car faster in French. People won’t face this problem in the United States. Work time is more flexible, the more you worked, the more you gain. The U.S. companies can offer you more possibilities, which is better than the French companies.  

In addition, people are not able to gain the same bonus as before, no matter how hard they work. “Overtime work will no longer come attached to a 25% bonus, but with one as low as 10%, to be determined through negotiation” (Crumley 3), which means workers need to work more and get less overtime bonus. In the United States, “the Final Rule amends the salary basis test to allow employers to use nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10 percent of the new standard salary level” (USDL). As mentioned before, the United States has a higher average annual wage. Workers in the U.S. will be about to get more money than workers in France. The famous enviable policy only exists in the name today. In summary, the United States is a better work place.  

Countries are required to work hard on shortening the gap between classes while they’re becoming more democratic. Both the United States and France implements one-way government. “A one-way governance system can create a gap between ranks that may reflect class disparities. While this is also a challenge in the U.S., Clise said it appears to be even more of one in France.” (Weinreb). For example, two foreign-born persons just graduated from college. One of them decides to find a job in the United States, another one wishes to work in France. The first person will find a job quick since he meets an employment rate of 69.21% of foreign-born population. At the same time, the second person is still looking for a job and it may take a long time because the foreign-born employment rate is only 55.3% of foreign-born population. Fifty-five thirty percent measure that only about half of a foreign-born people in France have a job (OECD.org).  

Different from American people, the French care about majors a lot. During French high schools, students need to choose their own major and keep studying at colleges. They are preferred to find a job that related to their majors or degrees and will face a huge problem if they want to work on a job that related to other majors. The France’s companies believe majors and professions are extremely important. This convention always limits people and causes people can barely change their job to another field even they show more talent on it. Different from the rules in France, the United States is relatively few restrictions. Students pick their major and can easily change the major during colleges. Plus, it’s always a good time to start a new job on new aspects in the United States. In 2013, there was only 27% of college graduated students’ jobs match their majors (Plumer). The data is getting smaller and smaller today. Some people cannot find the right job after they have tried a bunch of jobs. People can hardly get this opportunity in France. However, people have their whole lives to find out the right jobs fit them the best in the United States. 

People need to become skilled to work with any technical objects. What can make people do a perfect job? An article by Christophe Dejours, un psychiatre, psychanalyste et professeur de psychologie français, spécialiste en psychodynamique du travail et en psychosomatique (a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and professor of French psychology, specialist in work psychodynamics and psychosomatic), showed the true meaning of working from dynamic psychology view (Wikipédia). Dejours wrote, “Work reveals that the intel-ligence of the world resides in the body itself and that it is through the body that the subject first enters the world in order to appropriate and inhabit it. The shaping of this intelligence occurs through the body’s prolonged, per-sistent relationship with the task at hand, through a series of subtle processes of familiarisation with materials, tools, and technical objects” (Dejours 81). To sum up, work is a process of using and get familiar with techniques and create benefits. A shorter work time will make the processes of getting familiarization longer, even harder. Americans always proud of themselves trying hard. The French have different opinions on work. They believe working is important, thus, enjoying lives is way more important than their work. People are always easily to be affected by people around them. They would concentrate on their work and improve proficiency and efficiency, as long as their surround environment bring them signals and tell them to work hard. The American workstyle is more able to promote people to grasp their work. However, the French have a slower workstyle. It might make your day easier, but you will get less improve. Base on the contrast, the United States has a more positive work environment, which is helpful.

Work motivation and enthusiasm are the keys to success. The efficiency and ability of a person will be greatly enhanced when he works with a strong mind and willingness. As Clise said in the previous interview, decisions are always made by the highest levels of organizations in France. Comparing the U.S. counterparts, “French corporations typically have a more hierarchical power structure” (Weinreb). France has the guild system, which is differs from the United States. The U.S. is more inclined to laisse the capitalist system and set minimum standards. The most workers’ wages and welfare problems are pushed to collective bargaining and market forces in the United States.  France’s government sets the “most representative” union. The connotation of the right of representation is “not intended to give a single union exclusive rights in a bargaining unit as is the case here.” To find out the “most representative”, “The standards to determine which unions are most representative are statutory and are applied administratively, subject to judicial control, for abuse of power.” (Meyers). People have positive emotions when they get chances to decide what to do. The hierarchical system will weaken it. France’s firm’s accustomed centralization system (Amable 529). In other words, the employers and employees in the Unites States enterprises are more equal than French companies. 

By analyzing and comparing the seven aspects of France and the United States, including ranking, salaries, economic outlook, work hour, employment, work culture, and government mechanism. The U.S. has a better work environment than France. Although the policy sounds enjoyable and humanize. The disadvantages should not be ignored. Base on all the sources, the United States has a stronger composite since it has a steady development. The U.S. has a higher average annual wage, and cheaper living cost. People can enjoy a higher employment rate in the United States. France is doing better on decreasing unemployment rate, but still far away from the Unites States. As well as the economy, it’s hard to compare the economics of those two countries since they utilize two different economic systems. It’s difficult to say which system is more productive and it’s impossible to delimit two countries nor work cultures. Yet the United States has a healthier work culture in psychology. The French system is usable as well, but not as active as the American system. The United States is more suitable to work in base on the data, sources, and arguments. The major reason it the culture difference between the two countries. To sum up, from various aspects of analysis, the Unites States is better to work in. 
