CORONAVIRUS SARS-COV-2 - employment law FAQ

The employer is bound by an obligation to take all necessary measures to ensure the employees’ health and safety. Therefore, the employer shall follow the recommendations of the Government, notably to limit the risk of being liable if an employee is infected with the corona virus.

As well, by following the governmental recommendations, the employer will reduce the number of situations where his employees could use their right of withdrawal (as described below).

The employer can also refer to the FAQ published online by the Government.

Employees are bound by an obligation to take care of their own health and safety, and that of their colleagues. Therefore, and especially if he/she continues to work within the company’s premises, the employee shall inform his/her employer if he/she has been in contact with a contaminated person or shows corona virus symptoms. However, the employee does not need to inform the employer his/her relatives’ situation unless he/she is a “contact case”, ie someone who has been in contact with a “confirmed case”.

No. French law does not provide for a general right to ask questions about the employee’s state of health. Caution is advised with regard to data protection law. The employer must not collect information on their state of health by means of medical forms and questionnaires. However, the employer may raise awareness and invite his employees to provide individual feedback to him or to the competent health authorities with information concerning them in connection with possible exposure.

In the case of concrete suspicion of illness, the employer should encourage the employee to refer to the governmental recommendations.

No. If an employee is not sick, and if the employer has implemented all the Government’s recommendations regarding the corona virus, the employee shall work (via remote working when possible). The risk of possible infection, for example, on the way to work, does not entitle the employee to refuse to perform his/her work.

However, an employee may withdraw from a work situation that he/she has reasonable cause to believe that it presents a serious and imminent danger to his/her life or health. He/she must alert the employer of this situation. This is an individual and subjective right so that, in case of disagreement with the employer regarding the existence of a serious and imminent danger, only the judge may decide whether the employee’s withdraw was or not justified.

No. However, the employer must now cancel all non-imperative travels. If the travel or posting is necessary, the employer shall refer to the governmental instructions and ensure that the employee respects them. In such case, the employee may only refuse the requested travel or posting if he/she has reasonable cause to believe that it poses a serious and imminent danger to his/her life or health (as explained above), and if the employer has not implemented the safety recommendations issued by the Government.

The employer is bound by a general obligation to protect the employees’ health and safety. If an employee is posted abroad or in a crisis area, the employer should implement all the governmental recommendations, and, if necessary to protect the employee’s health and security, bring him/her back.

Only if such meetings and trade fairs are essential. In such hypothesis, the employee may only refuse to participate in meetings or trade fairs if he/she has reasonable cause to believe that it poses a serious and imminent danger to his/her life or health (as explained above), and if the employer has not implemented the safety recommendations issued by the Government.

No. If the employer has implemented the safety recommendations issued by the Government, the conditions regarding the right of withdrawal are in principle not met.

No sanctions or deductions from wages may be applied as a result of the legitimate exercise of the right of withdrawal.

Due to his health and safety obligation, the employer shall remind and disseminate all sanitary recommendations to all the employees.

He must also postpone non-imperative business trips.

He shall also update the Risk Assessment Document (“Document Unique d’Evaluation des Risques" - DUER) after informing and consulting the Social and Economic Committee (“CSE”). Such update shall cover the new risks created by the deteriorated functioning of the company (adaptation of the premises, work reorganization, assignment to a new workstation, remote working, etc) as well as those related to exposure to Coronavirus.

No, if he/she is not sick. The mask is reserved for patients on medical prescription, for high-risk contacts, for professionals in personal assistance, medical transport, health professions, in town and in hospital.

The Government requests everyone to follow some barrier gestures: washing one’s hands very regularly, coughing or sneezing into one’s elbow, greeting without shaking hands, avoiding hugs, and using disposable tissues.

The employee and the employer have respectively the right to ask a medical examination by the occupational physician.

If the employee, infected with the corona virus, is on sick leave for at least 30 days, he/she has to benefit from a return-to-work examination by the occupational physician.

A general health and security obligation binds the employers. If the employee does not benefit from a sick leave from the ARS (French Health Agencies), the employer can unilaterally and notably decide to:

• implement remote working on a priority basis,
• reorganize the employee’s workstation, but only if remote working is not possible,
• suspend the employee (with continued payment of remuneration),
• take measures in terms of paid vacation days, RTT days and rest days (in compliance with the conditions and limits exposed hereafter).

The employer can also seek information from the occupational physician.

Yes. The Government even asks employers to implement remote working whenever possible. Remote working is now standard practice.

Indeed, in the event of exceptional circumstances, in particular the threat of an epidemic, the implementation of remote working may be considered as an adaptation of the workstation made necessary to allow the continuity of the company's activity and to guarantee the protection of employees.

In such case, the implementation of remote working does not require any particular formalism.

For employees holding positions where remote working is not possible, the employer can exempt employees from working. In this case, their remuneration will be maintained.

Employees cannot unilaterally decide to work from home in case of the threat of an epidemic but can only ask the employer to implement remote working. If the employer refuses, he must justify his decision.

The employer can implement remote working or exempt employees from working (with maintained remuneration) or take measures in terms of paid vacation days, RTT days and rest days (in compliance with the conditions and limits exposed hereafter).

If no solution can be found, the employee can obtain a sick leave from his/her employer. In such case, the employee will perceive social security daily allowances without any waiting period (see below). 

If it appears justified, and when the employee does not benefit from sick leave, and that remote working is not possible, the employer can exempt the employee from working. In such a case, the time during which the employee is exempted is qualified as “normal working period” and the employer is obliged to maintain his/her remuneration.

With regard to paid vacation, the employer may oblige the employee to take paid vacation days or change their date (within the limit of 6 days to be taken by December 31, 2020), or split the paid vacation days without the employee’s consent, provided that a company agreement or a collective bargaining agreement authorizes it and subject to observing a notice period of at least one full day. The meaning of the related “ordonnance” dated 26 March 2020 is unclear at this stage but it seems that, considering the current exceptional circumstances, the employer may still unilaterally modify the date of paid leave already planned (without respecting a 1-month notice period) as long as these paid vacation days are not split (Article L. 3141-16 of the French Labour Code).

With regard to rest days (RTT days, rest days in particular in the case of annual lump-sum agreement in days), the employer may unilaterally oblige the employee to take rest days or change the date of those already planned (within the limit of 10 days to be set by December 31, 2020), subject to observing a notice period of at least one full day.

Similarly, the employer may unilaterally require that the rights allocated to the employee's Time Savings Account (Compte Epargne-Temps – CET) be used to take rest days (within the limit of 10 days to be set by December 31, 2020), the dates of which the employer determines, subject to observing a notice period of at least one full day.

The above quoted limit of 10 days applies for RTT days, rest days and CET days cumulated.

If an employee shows symptoms of corona virus, the employer should refer to the governmental recommendations and ask the employee to refer to them as well.

If there is a serious risk of contamination, the employer shall invite the employee to contact his/her usual doctor. In case of serious symptoms, the employer must call emergency services (phone number = 15).

If an employee is infected with corona virus, the employer must follow the recommendations provided by the Government, ie:

• Cleaning the premises. People in charge of cleaning must be equipped with a disposable gown and gloves (it is not necessary to wear a respiratory protection mask).
• Floor maintenance. The employer shall:
  • Clean floors and surfaces with single use wash material with a detergent product;
  • Rinse with water with single use wash material;
  • Dry out;
  • Disinfect floors and surfaces with diluted bleach with a single use wash material (different from the two previous ones).
• No particular action needs to be taken regarding the waste produced by the contaminated person.

In principle, the employer bears the risk that - due to illness of the workforce – the employer cannot maintain the business. However, the employer can take various measures to minimize the economic risk, such as short-time work compensation (“activité partielle”) or working time arrangements (e.g. overtime, exceptions to maximum legal working durations and rest times, etc).

The short-time work scheme may be requested by companies in exceptional circumstances, such as the current circumstances related to the Coronavirus. However, the request must be validated by the Administration in the light of the reasons given by the employer (eg a drop-in activity, massive absence of employees essential to the company's activity, etc).

This request for short-time work must be made online and sent within a maximum of 30 days following the effective implementation of short-time work within the company (it applies for short-time work implemented since 1 March 2020).

The request must in principle be accompanied by the related minutes of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE). Indeed, the CSE must be informed and consulted prior to the requesting short-time work to the Administration. However, in exceptional circumstances (as currently), the employer has a period of two months following his request for short-time work to inform and consult his CSE and send the minutes to the Administration. In such a case, the employer shall indicate to the Administration the contemplated date of the meeting. It would mean that the CSE shall be already convened to the consultation meeting.

The Administration shall provide the employer with its answer within 2 days; the lack of answer means “approved”.

If the short-time work request is accepted by the Administration, the employer pays the employee an allowance equal to 70% of his/her gross salary (calculated as for the paid vacation indemnity). The employer may decide to grant a higher allowance, but the part exceeding the legal allowance will not be reimbursed by the French state.

In return, the employer will receive an allowance from the French state equal to 100% of the statutory allowance paid to employees (within the limit of 70% of 4.5 times the French gross hourly minimum wage (“SMIC”) (ie approximately € 4,850) and on the basis of a 35-hour weekly working duration maximum).

The allowance paid to the employees is not subject to social contributions but only to the CSG and CRDS taxes.

The duration for benefiting from the scheme is limited to 12 months.

The Social and Economic Committee (“CSE”) shall be involved in the organization, management and general running of the company. As such, it must in particular be informed and consulted on major changes modifying the health, safety or working conditions of the employees.

Thus, prior to important changes in the work organization, short-time work compensation or working time/rest time arrangements, the employer is required to inform and consult the CSE (if possible by videoconference). It shall also be informed and consulted concerning the updating of the Risk Assessment Document (“DUER”).

The CSE may also take the initiative to ask for the organization of an exceptional meeting.

As well, in the event of a serious and imminent danger for the employees, the CSE may alert the employer. In such case, the employer shall immediately carry out an investigation with the CSE representative and take the necessary steps to remedy the situation.

As the employer is bound by the obligation to ensure the protection of his employees’ health and security, and to prohibit discriminations, he is obliged to prevent harassment and discrimination. The employer must ensure that the workforce does not exclude colleagues who, for example, come from risk areas or may have been in contact with colleagues.

In case of harassment or discrimination of such employees, the employer must take all the necessary measures to assess the situation and cease it if it appears true (i.e. listening to the facts described by the employee concerned, proceeding with an internal enquiry, taking measures (eventually disciplinary measures).

Yes. Should an employee be on sick leave or in quarantine due to the corona virus (upon sick leave delivered by the ARS), he/she will receive social security daily allowances as for any other kind of sick leave but without any waiting period. Complementary payment of remuneration by the employer may also exist if the conditions provided by law (which are alleged during the current period, notably with the suppression of the seniority condition) and/or conditions provided by company regulations are satisfied (as for any sick leave).

Employees are protected against illness by the statutory accident insurance.

Caution is recommended regarding the protection of sensitive personal data of employees. The employer must not infringe on the privacy of its employees. For this reason, he may not introduce compulsory temperature readings, nor collect information on their state of health by means of medical forms and questionnaires.

In the event of a report, the employer has the right to record certain information such as the date and identity of the person suspected of having been exposed to the virus, as well as the organizational measures taken (quarantine, remote working, orientation and contact with the occupational physician, etc).

To this end, the French Data Protection Authority ("CNIL") issued a certain number of recommendations on 6 March 2020.

The employer bears the costs of occupational health and safety, eg for occupational medical care. This also applies to changing times or the establishment of suitable remote workstations.