Differences between a Dutch and Parisian workday: this is what you need to know

A workday is of course a workday everywhere. You have a laptop, an inbox that seems to multiply on its own, and at least one meeting that makes you wonder why it couldn't just have been an email. But still, a workday in Paris can look quite different from one in the Netherlands.

Because while we Dutch like to be efficient (preferably closing the laptop at 5:00 PM and off to home), it seems there is a bit more room in Paris for the things that make a workday enjoyable. A long lunch, for example. A coffee. Another coffee. And maybe afterwards a little time on a terrace.

The day begins, but not in a hurry

In the Netherlands, we like to have things organized. At 8:30 you are at your job and not a minute later. Agenda open, planning ready, coffee in hand, and go. The workday has started and we mainly want to make progress as quickly as possible.

But in Paris, this is not the case at all. If you stroll in around 10:00 (provided you didn't have important appointments beforehand, of course), this is just the most normal thing in the world. In Paris, there seems to be much more time to start calmly. First, a little chat by the coffee machine, greet colleagues, get coffee, and then slowly head towards the laptop.

Not because there is no work being done, but because work doesn't have to start at full throttle immediately.

Lunch is truly a moment

This might be the biggest difference. A Dutch lunch can consist of a sandwich behind your laptop while you answer three emails in the meantime. Efficient? Certainly. Cozy? Not at all.

In Paris, lunch is much more a part of the day. This often takes a long time. You sit down, order something delicious, and take your time. About 1.5 to 2 hours is certainly not unusual. A break from your screen, talking with colleagues, and especially: not trying to work through those emails in the meantime. And honestly: we could learn something from that.

Efficiency vs. enjoyment

Dutch people love efficiency. If something can be done in twenty minutes, why would we take an hour for it?

In Paris, there seems to be a bit more room for the idea that a workday doesn't have to consist solely of productivity. A conversation can take a bit longer. A lunch can be extensive. And a coffee doesn't necessarily have to be squeezed in between two meetings. That doesn't mean, of course, that Parisians spend the whole day with a glass of wine on a terrace. Work is still done, very hard even. It just seems that work is a bit less all-consuming.

Of course, we also drink coffee. A lot, in fact. But a French coffee break feels just a bit different. The difference might not even be in the coffee, but in the fact that you apparently don't always have to do something while drinking your coffee. They see it more as a kind of relief. Yes, really.

Office fb

And then it's time to go home

Here too, there is an interesting difference. We Dutch have an almost sacred relationship with our end time. 5:00 PM? Laptop closed. Coat on. Goodbye.

In Paris, the workday can run a bit later. Don't be surprised if Parisians are still in the office at 9:30 PM. And that has of course everything to do with that longer lunch and the pace throughout the day. So while the Dutch employee might bike to the supermarket at 5:00 PM, the Parisian is still behind their laptop. But then comes the good news: once you're done, the real Parisian life only just begins.

What we can learn from this

Perhaps the difference between a Dutch and a Parisian workday isn't that big after all. Work needs to be done in both countries, deadlines need to be met, and emails need to be answered.

The difference mainly lies in the way you organize your day. And perhaps that's exactly why a workday in Paris feels just a bit more like a part of life, and a bit less like something you have to rush through.