Challenges of International Human Resource Management in France

This essay discusses the challenges faced by Australian managers in adopting different HR policies in France. It covers topics such as language barrier, cultural differences, compliance with laws, working hours, working culture, workplace diversity, and employment-related issues.

Running Head: IHRM
International Human Resource Management
Essay
System04104
4/7/2019

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Introduction
Working in a different culture and in a different work environment is always
challenging for a manager if the manager is not able to adopt different culture and norms in a
different country. An Australian manager has to adopt a different work environment and will
have to face different attitudes of people to maintain a healthy work environment in the
organisation. The Australian manager will have to face various issues related to HR in
France, because of the following differences in HR policies between Australia and France:
Language Barrier
Language is the major problem that the Australian manager has to face in France.
France people generally speak the French language rather than English, while Australian
people speak English language. The manager should have a proper idea about the French
language, thus he can better solve the problem of his/her employees. Although, French is one
of the easiest languages in the world but it should be known by the manager to deal and
understand other people or employees in France (Santoso & Loosemore, 2013).
Cultural Difference between France and Australia
Both Australia and France have different culture and language. An Australian
manager has to understand the different culture of France and adapt it accordingly. It has
been observed that employees in France are shouting more and they have short-tempered
nature. People of France are normally not friendly and are aggressive in nature. Therefore,
the Australian manager have to patiently deal with the situation when he tries to solve the
issue if any arrive in the organisation (Davoine, & Ravasi, 2013). French people are
aggressive in nature and they do not want that people blame them for any mistake or fault.
Thus, a manager should silently and with a cool mind to understand these situations and
resolve the issue.
Compliance with Law and Regulations
Changing employment law in France is a major challenge for any manager. Many
people ignore the employment laws or human resource law, but for successful business
operation, it is essential for a business manager to know the law of other countries as well.
Therefore, it is essential for the Australian business manager to adopt the local, state, and
federal labour and human resource laws in France as soon as possible. There might be

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different labour laws, different regulation on hiring people, or different regulation related to
workplace safety (Fitch, 2016). Thus, the Australian manager should take a few minutes to
read and aware of these laws of France.
Working Hours
It has been common in Australia that people are working 44 hours in a week and a
serious debate on the long working hours in Australian company is going on. However,
France fixed its working hour not more than 35 hours in a week since 2000. However, the
Australian government is continuously working to reduce the working hour from 44 hours to
40 hours (Müller & Schnabel, 2019). Therefore, it is a relaxation for the Australian manager
that he will have to work only 35 hours in a week in France. Moreover, this is not an issue for
him but when the company needs extra time to complete a job, then he needs to work more
than 35 hours in a week. Even it is observed that French people take many more hours in a
meeting until they get the solution to a problem or they finished their coffee. It is unusual in
Australia where people spend maximum 20 minutes in a meeting; people in France spend
more than an hour (Karadjova-Stoev & Mujtaba, 2016).
Working Culture
It has been said that Australian people are very laid back. The Australian managers
are very cool and relaxed during working hours and it also shows that relaxed workplace
culture of Australia. Australian people like to keep thing casual and get a lot of time away
from work. Many people shocked when they first encounter the workplace culture in
Australia. French people are also known for their smart work rather than the hard work. A
proverb is very famous in France: “If working hard made you rich, the donkey would be
covered in gold." Both countries manager are keen to work fast and complete the work within
the deadline. Although the Australian people do not say ‘no' to extra work and they are
always ready to accept challenges. The Australian people are also known to keep their work
separate from their family lives. Australian employees have different workplace culture than
the French people (Kochan, Riordan, Kowalski, Khan, & Yang, 2019).
Workplace Diversity
The culture of French people is very different from the Australian people. A manager
who belongs to Australian culture has to manage a very different diverse workforce culture in
France. There are multiple generations with different ethnic and cultural differences. People
with different attitude and culture may see the work as their own perspective. For example, a

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French employee who is habituated to work 35 hours in a week, not interested to work more
than this allowed work hours. However, Australian employees are working more than 44
hours in a week. This work problem creates a major problem for HR manager (Festing &
Schäfer, 2014).
Employment Related issues in France
The nature of unions and their interest with top management or with managers are
different from country to country. In some countries, either the employees union does not
exist or relatively weak, such as China. The Manager has to face the problem related to
employees demand and their concerns in France. Once he will familiar with their employees
and establish a good relationship with them, it will be beneficial to create a supportive
environment in the organisation (Meyskens, Von Glinow, Werther, & Clarke, 2009). A
manager plays a key role in the success of a company. However, a good relationship is
always essential for a healthy work environment. A manager can maintain a good relationship
if he understands the query of his employees and resolves it as soon as possible. Due to the
yellow vest protest in France, the tax was increased by 26% and things are not remained the
same, as it was a few years back (Reuters, 2019). Therefore, employees are demanding more
salary and wages to maintain their life along with safety. In fact, opposition parties and trade
unions politicize these issues and it was not easy to deal for an Australian manager. Unlike
Australia, where formal communication is also a part of work, in Paris employee relation is
totally based on the documents. In Paris, employee unions have great influence on employee
relationship as compared to Australia hence it must be managed by the Australian manager in
the proper way (The local, 2019).
Conclusion
The major emphasis of any business organisation is to expand the business for further
growth and development. However, managing people and organisation in other countries
where the work environment is different from the native culture in terms of culture, the
behaviour of employees, climate, and believe is not an easy job. Hence, it is essential for the
organisation to provide proper training to the manager who is selected as a branch manager in
France. The training program should include all the detail information related to French work
culture, diversity, their working environments, behaviour, and rules and regulations related to
employment. In addition to this, the organisation should offer a great level of new

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compensation benefit programs to the manager who is selected for work in Paris. The new
compensation benefit will help him to survive in the heavy tax environment and he can
sustain a healthy life in Paris.

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References
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Fitch, M. (2016). The people and the workers: Communist cultural politics during the popular
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Karadjova-Stoev, G., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2016). Strategic human resource management and
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The local. (2019). Somber Macron hikes minimum wage in hope of calming 'yellow vest'
rebellion [online]. Retrieved from: https://www.thelocal.fr/20181210/macron-
announces-wage-reforms-in-hope-of-calming-yellow-vest-rebellion