Thought Of The Week

Be Like the French

France made the Wall Street Journal the other day regarding the strong objection to store openings on Sunday. Retailers claim that with the economy sagging, extended hours will bring in more profits. Stores and areas that cater to tourists are open but many others remain closed as Sunday is a day reserved for family. France is a protectionist society. They take all kinds of measures to protect their language, food, wine and culture. Part of their culture is leisure time. Here in the U.S. we make fun of cultures that pride themselves on leisure time. We forget that our Puritan founders shut things down on Sunday as this was a day to devote to prayer (and family). Now we worship at the mall on Sundays.

Productivity, efficiency, competitiveness are the watchwords here. But it’s really a myth.

We confuse quantity with quality. We may work more hours per week on average. But is this really efficient? Are we putting in the hours but wasting time on the job BECAUSE we have to be visible for so many hours? I think so. Happy and efficient workers make for efficient companies. Balancing family, work and leisure time is no easy task and our society does little to tackle this issue. Forward thinking companies here find that most of their innovation comes from employees during free or unstuctured time. And perhaps other cultures understand the balancing act better.

And I bet they are more efficient. Should we live to work or work to live?

If we think we are more competitive, we are fooling ourselves. Just look at our educational system. It is greatly inferior to many systems especially those in Asia. Japanese families are concerned when they move here because they fear their children will suffer if mired in the U.S. schools and fall behind when they return home.

So let’s be more French. Protect our leisure and family time. Closing things on Sundays won’t be the end of American society. It won’t happen here where the “Almighty” refers to the dollar.. But we shouldn’t judge other cultures for not following our inefficient model.