If there weren't many reasons to admire the French lifestyle already, here is another one: they don't have to worry about responding official calls, texts, and emails after office hours. The French government has now made it illegal to work after 6pm, according to a Guardian report.

Last week, employer groups and worker unions from the country's tech and consultancy sectors signed a new, legally binding labour agreement that will require staff to switch off their phones after 6pm.

Out of the country's total workforce of about 40 million, the agreement currently affects only 1 million workers, including those working in the French arms of Google, Facebook, Deloitte and PwC. But those who favor the law say that the model can be extended to other sectors as well.

Apart from making it illegal for employers to force their workers to work after 6pm, the new law also says that employees should resist the temptation of looking at work-related material once the clock ticks off.

A study from the Center for Creative Leadership suggests that the workers with smartphones communicated with their office 72 hours per week on average.