Abstract

In February 2021, the French government relaxed the Labor Code and authorized workday lunches in the office and on the shop floor to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in dedicated eating places (canteens, lunch rooms, refectories). The general reception of the measure was indifferent. Conservative media, however, welcomed the news as a long overdue step toward more individual liberty and a less rigid labor market. This opinion misconstrues the historical origins of the lunch-time regulation as well as the economic effects and cultural meaning of lunch breaks. First, public health inspired the original regulation in 1894. Second, its upshots have since sustained workday commensality and people’s wellbeing. Third, scientific studies show that lunch breaks increase productivity in the afternoon. Far from being a drag on the general economy or the individual firm, midday commensality on working days benefits both employees and employers. Proper meals on workdays are likely to survive the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.

摘要

2021 年 2 月，法国政府放宽了《劳动法》，并授权在办公室和车间提供工作日午餐，以防止 Covid-19 在专用餐饮场所（食堂、午餐室、食堂）传播。对该措施的普遍接受是无所谓的。然而，保守派媒体对这一消息表示欢迎，认为这是朝着更多个人自由和不那么僵化的劳动力市场迈出的早该迈出的一步。这种观点误解了午餐时间规定的历史渊源以及午餐时间的经济影响和文化意义。首先，公共卫生在 1894 年激发了最初的监管。其次，其结果是维持了工作日的共生性和人们的福祉。第三，科学研究表明午休可以提高下午的生产力。工作日的中午共处远非拖累整体经济或个别公司，对雇员和雇主都有利。工作日的适当膳食很可能会经受住 Covid-19 大流行的冲击。