France: New Law Supporting Employee Volunteering Initiatives

The new law adopted on 15 April 2024 has created 3 new employee volunteering options in the French Labour Code:

• Employees can request up to 6 days per year to work for the French government’s Ombudsman (“Défenseur des Droits”). Employees can already request such leave of absence to support certain charities and non-profit organizations.
• Employees can donate a certain number of unused rest days to certain charities and non-profit organizations.
• A company can send an employee on secondment, for up to 3 years, to a new or small to medium-sized company to help train their staff or to work on a common project.

Key Action Points for Human Resources and In-House Counsel

Check if these new options can support your company’s pro bono or outreach initiatives.