text: A new law in France starting New Year’s Day will allow workers "the right to disconnect�? from their smartphones and from checking work emails after hours. 
   
   The new law corresponds to companies with more than 50 employees, and it is intended to tackle the “always-on�? work culture, which leads to overtime as well as an intrusion in their private lives outside the office. 
   
   French workplace expert Xavier Zunigo told the Guardian that the law might not appeal to most workers because they don’t want to lose the "autonomy and flexibility�? technology offers them. 
   
   According to the BBC, France has had 35-hour work weeks since 2000. 
   
   France promises $30M to protect cultural heritage sites 
   
   The law was first introduced in 2015 when French's labor minister Myriam El Khomri issued a report warning that “info-obesity�? could cause health problems. 
   
   A U.S. study, “Exhausted But Unable to Disconnect,�? authored by three university professors, showed that not only does checking emails causes stress, but the anticipation of receiving an answer. 
   
   “What we find is that people who feel they have to respond to emails on their off hours become emotionally exhausted, partially because they can’t detach from work,�? Colorado State University Prof. Samantha Conroy said in the study. 
   
   “They are not able to separate from work when they go home, which is when they are supposed to be recovering their resources.�? ||||| A new law forcing French companies to give their workers the right to ignore their emails and smartphone outside the work hours will take effect starting from Sunday. 
   
   Hidden hours of work outside France’s well-known 35-hour week has led the country’s labour ministry to want to preserve the sanctity of their private life in law. 
   
   The “right to disconnect”, one of the first of its kind in the world, will oblige companies of more than 50 people to negotiate a set of measures with their staff about when they have to work outside of contracted work hours. 
   
   If a deal cannot be reached, the companies must draw up a charter of good conduct, setting out the hours, during the evening or weekends, when employees are not supposed to send or answer emails. 
   
   The overuse of smartphone has been blamed for the scale of “burn out” and “sleeplessness” among employees, with many uncertain about when they are legally allowed to switch off. 
   
   The new law has been welcomed by France’s powerful trade unions, who have argued that the overuse of smartphones results in many people working more than the 35-hour weekly limit. 
   
   Xavier Zunigo, a French workplace expert, said: “There’s a real expectation that companies will seize on the ‘right to disconnect’ as a protective measure,” 
   
   “At the same time, workers don’t want to lose the autonomy and flexibility that digital devices give them,” added Zunigo, who is an academic and director of research group Aristat. 
   
   The measure was introduced by Myriam El Khomri, the labour minister, who commissioned a report submitted in September 2015 which warned about the health impact of “info-obesity” which afflicts many workplaces. 
   
   In the UK hardly any law prevent workers from a digital burn out, according to Matt Gingell, an employment law partner at Gannons solicitors. 
   
   Under the Working Time Regulations, British workers must not work more than 48 hours each week, averaged over 17 weeks. 
   
   Workers can opt out provided that they provide a minimum of 7 days notice. There are also some general exceptions to the 48-hour week including for those workers whose working time is not measured and are in control of their work. 
   
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   Some 36 per cent of British workers will continue to check their work emails over the Christmas break, according to research by Lee Hecht Harrison Penna. 
   
   The study of 2,000 full-time workers in the UK also showed that those aged between 18 and 34 will be the worst offenders with almost half admitting to check in online during the holiday season. 
   
   Additional reporting by AFP ||||| Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The measure was signed into law in May 
   
   France employees are getting the legal right to avoid work emails outside working hours. 
   
   The new law, which has been dubbed the "right to disconnect", comes into force on 1 January. 
   
   Companies with more than 50 workers will be obliged to draw up a charter of good conduct, setting out the hours when staff are not supposed to send or answer emails. 
   
   France has a working week of 35 hours, in place since 2000. 
   
   Supporters of the new law say that employees who are expected to check and reply to their work emails out of hours are not being paid fairly for their overtime, and that the practice carries a risk of stress, burnout, sleep problems and relationship difficulties. 
   
   The measure is part of a set of labour laws introduced in May. 
   
   It was the only one of the laws - which also made it easier for firms to hire and fire employees - that did not generate widespread protest and strikes. 
   
   Some private companies have previously tried to put limits on their employees' use of work email outside working hours. 
   
   For instance, in 2014, the German vehicle-maker Daimler set up an optional service for workers going on holiday; instead of sending an out-of-office reply, they could opt to have all new emails automatically deleted while they were away.
target: – In what may be the best French innovation since kissing and/or toast, the country has given its workers the right not to check work emails while at home. The Independent reports the new "right to disconnect" law takes effect Sunday for companies with more than 50 employees. The law requires those companies to clearly define the hours when employees aren't required to check or reply to work emails, according to the BBC. Supporters of the law say employees feel obligated to deal with work emails after hours but aren't being paid for that overtime. France's labor ministry says it wants to stop citizens from working these "hidden hours." Prior to the new law, many French workers weren't sure when they were legally allowed to ignore work emails. The resulting obligation to constantly deal with work emails could lead to increased stress, problems sleeping, relationship troubles, and more. “What we find is that people who feel they have to respond to emails on their off hours become emotionally exhausted, partially because they can’t detach from work,” the New York Daily News quotes a professor involved with a US study that found checking work emails at home kept people from recharging at the end of the day. The right to disconnect law was the only new labor law passed in France this last May that didn't lead to strikes and protests.