French lawmakers voted recently to eliminate the country's mandatory 35-hour workweek limit, hoping to spur economic growth in the country. French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin outlined a plan that will allow companies to negotiate their own deals with staff on overtime as long as the provisions stay within the European Union's 48-hour workweek limit. The goal of the proposal would be to increase the hours of overtime per year that French employees can work from 180 hours a year to 220.

Trade unions have already come out against the plan, a signal that tough negotiations are ahead. Companies are being advised to communicate their need to be cost-competitive with workers who may be asked to work longer hours. They should also analyze how the 35-hour workweek helped or hurt their company when it came out.

Some employers negotiated for flexible terms when the 35-hour workweek came out, allowing employees to choose to work an annual amount of hours equal to the 35 per week. These terms could be renegotiated now. Although negotiations will be tense, consultants argue that employers will have the advantage because with countries like Poland and the Czech Republic as part of the European Union, it will be easier for companies to find cheaper labor willing to work longer hours.

With unemployment rates high in France and Germany (where the 35-hour workweek is also standard), restrictive labor rules are not helpful in the current economy. Consultants believe that France's proposal will take all of Europe closer to the standardization of a 40-hour week.