Employers of Record (EORs) in France: Everything you need to know

When searching for talent and making hiring decisions, it’s important to consider global candidates. Expanding your search internationally increases the likelihood of finding the right person for the job. And with the French government putting the tech sector at the forefront of its business and economic initiatives, there’s never been a better time to expand your employee search into France. 

While it’s a good idea to conduct a global search for talent, keep in mind that hiring across borders is often more difficult than it appears on the surface. For instance, you’ll have to navigate local labor laws and tax regulations, find local payroll and benefits providers, and more.

Fortunately, there’s a good solution to this problem. If you’re hiring a French employee, you can turn to an employer of record (EOR) in France to take care of those administrative and logistical details. 

EORs in France

By using an EOR in France, you can tap into its growing talent pool without the typical headaches of global employment. For instance, a global EOR provider like Oyster makes hiring across borders a simple, seamless, and more manageable task by handling all aspects of employment on your behalf.

This includes but is not necessarily limited to:

• Compliance with local laws: For instance, the “right to disconnect” was implemented in 2017, empowering employees to limit calls and emails to their regular working hours.
• Onboarding: This covers the many steps associated with bringing an employee into your company. 
• Payroll: Paying employees in full, on time, and without violating local laws is critical to maintaining a good relationship and reputation. 
• Benefits: France, like every country, has unique benefit requirements.
• Time off management: Manage employee time off accurately and within the legal limits of the law.
• Offboarding: Take the proper steps when an employee leaves the company, either via termination or at will. 

Managing all these details on your own would be laborious and time-consuming. It also introduces the possibility of mistakes that can increase your hiring costs in France.

A few things to know about hiring in France

1. There are strict rules around termination

Before you hire a French employee, consider the fact that you may one day have to terminate them. France has strict rules around termination, and neglecting to follow them can result in legal complications. 

Any employee who has worked at least eight months for the same employer is entitled to severance compensation if terminated for personal or economic reasons. This typically occurs when companies need to cut employees due to an economic downturn. 

There’s one important exception to this rule: employees are not entitled to severance if they’re dismissed for negligence or misconduct. 

Here are some additional details:

• Employees with up to 10 years at the same company are entitled to severance equal to or greater than 25% of their gross monthly salary multiplied by their years of service. 
• Employees with 11 or more years at the same company are entitled to severance equal to or greater than 33% of their gross monthly salary multiplied by their years of service. 
• Any employee classified as an executive is entitled to compensation for reduction of working time (RTT) and any unused annual holiday allowance. 

2. The right to disconnect law is serious business

In 2017, France passed the right to disconnect law, which applies to companies with 50 or more employees. With this law, companies can’t expect employees to receive or reply to email messages outside their working hours. 

Additionally, working days in France must not exceed 10 hours, and there’s a 35-hour workweek. 

Nicolas Boring, a foreign law specialist with the Law Library of Congress focusing on French-speaking jurisdictions, notes that France's labor code doesn't explicitly discuss telework. But it’s implied that the right to disconnect applies here as well. It’s important for employers and remote employees in France to set clear expectations around availability, especially across time zones. 

3. The notice period is detailed 

The notice period in France is detailed and depends on the employee’s classification. Here’s what you need to know:

• For conventional employees, one month’s notice is required if the individual has been working for the company between six months and two years. 
• Two months’ notice is required for any individual who has been employed for two or more years. This also applies to supervisors. 
• Company executives are required to provide their employer with three months’ notice. 

Learn more in our complete guide to hiring in France.

About Oyster

Oyster is a global employment platform designed to enable visionary HR leaders to find, hire, pay, manage, develop, and take care of a thriving distributed workforce. Oyster lets growing companies give valued international team members the experience they deserve, without the usual headaches and expense.

Oyster enables hiring anywhere in the world—with reliable, compliant payroll, and great local benefits and perks.