Smart working and ‘short weeks’ are here to stay in Italy

Employees are increasingly seeking flexible or agile working arrangements, such as remote work (from home and overseas), hybrid models and flexible hours, to improve work-life balance. However, there is a growing tension between employee preferences and employer efforts to encourage a return to the office. We explore the current trends in Italy. According to the Osservatorio Smart Working of Politecnico di Milano (the ‘Osservatorio’), smart or agile…

The EU’s AI Act: the first obligations take effect

The EU AI Act came into force on 1 August 2024, and the first obligations now apply, having taken effect on 2 February 2025. These obligations relate to promoting artificial intelligence (‘AI’) literacy on the one hand and banning certain AI practices on the other. From 2 August 2026, most obligations must be complied with by organisations covered by the Act. With the AI Act,…

European court rules on Norwegian staffing agency restrictions

At the request of the Oslo District Court, the European Free Trade Association Court has issued an advisory opinion on the interpretation of the European Economic Area Agreement as it relates to freedom to provide staffing services. The case concerns the question of whether Norwegian hiring rules are in line with EEA law. The background of the case is Norwegian legislative changes that restrict access to…

Omnibus-Verordnung zu ESG-Berichtspflichten – wie ist der aktuelle Stand?

Die EU-Kommission will ESG-Berichtspflichten für Unternehmen in einer sogenannte Omnibus-Verordnung konsolidieren. Ziel soll sein, den administrativen Aufwand für Unternehmen in Bezug auf Nachhaltigkeitsangaben zu verringern. Dazu will sie sich überschneidende Berichtspflichten vereinheitlichen bzw. sogar abbauen. Das betrifft voraussichtlich insbesondere Pflichten aus der Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattungsrichtlinie (CSRD), dem EU-Lieferkettengesetz (CSDDD) und der EU-Taxonomie-Verordnung. Nicht überall stößt dies auf Beifall. November 2024: Budapester Erklärung Im November 2024 fand in…

Talent without borders: unlocking a diverse workforce

18 December 2024 is the UN’s International Migrants Day which shines a spotlight on the contributions of migrants around the world. Studies have shown that having a diverse workforce with employees of different cultural backgrounds and experiences fosters creativity and innovation, and can be hugely beneficial to employers. But how flexible are immigration routes, and do they allow an employer to quickly hire the people…

Israel expands sexual harassment law to service contractor employees

A recent amendment to Israel’s sexual harassment law expands the obligations of an employer under the law to cover employees of contractors providing services to the employer. The Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment is intended to address, among other issues, occurrences of sexual harassment in the workplace. Towards this goal, various obligations applying to employers are set out, including an obligation to establish…

Zwischen Vertrauen und Kontrolle – Umgang mit Fehlverhalten im Homeoffice

Das Thema Homeoffice oder mobiles Arbeiten als flexible Arbeitsform ist aus der Realität vieler Unternehmen nicht mehr wegzudenken. Die damit verbundene Flexibilität bietet sowohl Arbeitnehmern als auch Arbeitgebern zahlreiche Vorteile, etwa eine bessere Work-Life-Balance oder reduzierte Betriebskosten. Auch können Arbeitgeber Talente aus einer größeren geografischen Region anwerben, ohne auf den Standort achten zu müssen (zu den Besonderheiten zum mobilen Arbeiten aus dem EU-Ausland, siehe unser…

Cyber Security obligations under the EU AI Act

With the EU’s AI Act coming into force imminently, those designing, developing, and/or deploying AI will need to start getting to grips with the myriad of new obligations, including new cyber security requirements. Among other cyber security requirements, the AI Act introduces a requirement for High Risk systems to be ‘resilient against attempts by unauthorised third parties to alter their use, outputs or performance by…

Employers liable for employees’ GDPR errors

A recent judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) sheds light on the question of whether a data controller can be exempted from liability for the error of a person acting under its authority. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides that a controller or processor is exempt from liability for breaches of the GDPR if it proves that it is not in any…

The general public's enthusiasm for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is making its way into the workplace.

While AI offers many advantages, employers must remain aware of the risks that a lack of supervision can generate.  Avoiding discrimination Discrimination is one of the risks most feared by the intrusion of AI into decision-making processes, particularly in terms of recruitment and candidate selection. Failure to comply with non-discrimination rules exposes the employer to various risks, ranging from the invalidity of the decision in…