Not ablicable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Not ablicable - Essay Example What is good to note in this article is that Sarkozy and his government are taking steps to shake up the status quo and make some reforms with regards to the issue, particularly in matters of workplace and social inclusion. He did this by appointing officials from different races and ethnic backgrounds after his election in 2007. He created a new government post called â€Å"diversity and equality commissioner† and appointed Yazid Sabeg, foreign-born and known all throughout the country for his extensive work in â€Å"promoting diversity and workplace rights† (SHRM.org, 2009). The government had no other recourse but to make these drastic changes because of the riots that happened in one of the suburbs of Paris, particularly in the low-income, immigrant areas. The country, as Sabeg announced, is on the brink of a social civil war, and if nothing changes, then it could only get worse. It remains to be seen how the people will react to the efforts instituted by Sarkozy. In another article from the same website in January 1, 2006, Jeremy Josephs wrote about how the 35-hour work week is dividing the workforce. On one hand, economists and legislators supported the policy because they contended that it will result in greater productivity and will create more jobs. On the other hand, workers are starting to realize that â€Å"the atmosphere at work also changed. People became clock-watchers" (Josephs, 2006). Because they were working less in a week, the supplemental income coming from overtime work vanished, which left workers with families lost and desperate. The debate is still open as to whether the 35-hour week is the best way to go. How is the French workforce coping with the recession? In a recent article on June 5, 2009, two researchers from the Human Capital Institute (HCI) wrote about a growing trend in staffing management that is geared towards saving labor costs and at the same time increasing workers’ productivity. HCI, in