The Paris Court of Appeal ruled that it was illegal to fire a company employee because he was not a sufficiently “pleasant” employee at work.
In the lawsuit, filed before France’s highest court, lawyers said the former employee of Quebec Partners lost his job in 2015 after refusing to participate in activities he described as “humiliating and intrusive”.
Lawyers for the man, T, said he refused to participate in seminars and social events on weekends involving “excessive drinking”, used “vulgar” nicknames, and was forced to share a bed with another employee while on the job.
The man was appointed as a senior consultant in February 2011, was promoted to the position of director in February 2014, and then dismissed for “professional incompetence” in March 2015 for allegedly not adhering to the company’s values.
In its ruling this month, the Court of Cassation affirmed a man’s right to “freedom of expression” and that refusing to participate in social activities is a “fundamental freedom” under labor and human rights laws, and should not be a reason for his dismissal.
And she says Washington Post It’s not the first time that issues related to alcohol culture have been taken up on the job.
France is among the most liberal countries in the world in terms of alcohol consumption, and the minimum legal age for drinking alcohol in public places there is 18 years, but there are no regulations regarding drinking alcohol in private places.