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Comment by grp | Hacker News Reader

You'll need to go to Paris for a medical check that you can do your job. All French employees must do this. And you have to do it every two years. Pee in a cup. Undress over there.

Is it a joke? Never heard of that in 30 years..

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Yep the "visite médicale d'embauche" shocks a lot of foreigners... It was suppressed in January [0] for white collar workers but in risky jobs it's still mandatory.

[0] http://www.lemonde.fr/emploi/article/2017/03/16/la-fin-de-la...

They're not selling it very well.

In certain industries, the company pays for you to go and get a thorough physical checkup every two years, on company time.

It's the unions that negotiated this, it's a benefit to the employee.

Although as mentioned before the pee-in-a-cup part is optional, it saved a friend's ass. That allowed for detection that something was wrong, which prompted him to do more tests, and resulted in a diagnosis of a severe white-cell blood problem. Save for this check he'd be dead by now.

It may seem mundane when everything's OK, but thanks to this check many people discover they have diabetes, kidney issues, hearing or sight issues (both are tested at regular intervals) and can then take proactive actions to fix that, usually suggested during the last part which is the debrief with a doctor†. Similarly, that chat may look useless to healthy people but sometimes it help uncover psychopathological situations such as nascent burnout or depression.

Seriously, what's there to be so up in arms about it? It's all handled confidentially like every medical checkup, the employer can't see anything of it except a mention saying you're medically able or not able to do your job, it helps prevent drunkards driving school buses, and it may save or at the very least improve your life.

† Caveat: Some doctors do really suck and could care less. Sadly happens, but not all of them are bad.

I work for a major French engineering company, and have done so in France - I don't know what job OP has, but my company does NOT make you do this.

Also worth noting that I've had to do this in other countries; I'd say it's more problematic elsewhere.

I would however say that yes, the French bureaucracy is something else entirely. But if you are friendly to them and show your face things will happen faster.

I work in tech in France and in my personal experience, this is fake. You do have to get a medical exam upon employment but that's it. You'll have to get your shirt off for a heart exam. But it doesn't have to be in Paris, no peeing in a cup, and you won't have to do it every 2 years.

Well I did on the visa being mentioned so I have first hand experience. Not fake.

I used to work in tech in France (now I'm in the UK) and I had to pee in a cup, so YMMV I guess.

There's a medical check but you don't have to pee in a cup (they propose you a urine test but it's optional) and you don't have to undress either, mostly chat with a doctor and pass an eye exam.

And it's only in Paris if you're in Paris, otherwise you'll do it wherever you live.

I don't really see what's shocking, it's just to make sure you're medically apt to do the job your employer is asking you to, and that your employer provides the right environment to work in a way that's safe for you.

For tech jobs it boils down mostly to workspace ergonomics, and a sane work schedule.

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