Minimum wage in the EU: a new milestone reached

The European Parliament and Council negotiators have agreed on rules to set adequate minimum wages in EU member countries. The new rules will apply to all EU workers who have an employment contract or who are in an employment relationship. The European Union has reached an agreement on the minimum wage. This was officially announced on 7 June 2022 via the the Social Affairs Committee…

AI that detects your emotions: issues for employment?

The development of Empathetic AI, which purports to be able to detect human emotions, raises significant questions for employment, particularly around data privacy and potential bias. Smile! You’re on camera! And we are detecting your heart rate, pupil dilation, blood pressure, temperature, and other physiognomic measurements… Empathic Artificial Intelligence is a sub-group of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems which makes use of empathic technology: algorithms that…

What are the new green reporting duties in France?

The French Climate Law introduced new environmental reporting obligations for companies. Now, a recent decree has set out details of these obligations. In France, in companies with at least 50 employees, the employer must provide the staff representatives (the ‘Social and Economic Committee’) with an economic and social database, which gathers all the information necessary for the numerous consultations and recurrent information requirements with regard…

Using ‘mystery calls’ to detect discrimination in recruitment in Belgium

A recent change in the law in Belgium lowers the threshold for labour inspectors to use ‘mystery calls’ to test for discrimination in recruitment. Our annual survey of HR trends showed that one in five companies have been faced with an informal or formal discrimination complaint, mainly on the grounds of apparent race or ethnic origin. Discrimination in recruitment still seems to be difficult to…

New protection against hair discrimination in Illinois

Illinois is set to join 13 other US states in introducing protection against discrimination based on hair styles and texture, particularly those associated with Black natural hair. On 9 April 2022, the Illinois Senate passed House Amendment 1 to SB 3616, joining the Illinois House, in unanimously passing legislation referred to as the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act. It…

ESG policies in Australia

How do organisations in Australia address environmental, social and governance issues in their policies? Most public organisations in Australia will have in place a code of conduct, a diversity policy, anti-bribery and corruption policy and a whistleblower policy, in accordance with the recommendations set out in the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations (4th Edition) (ASX Principles & Recommendations). ESG developments have…

From the Ukrainian Ius Laboris lawyers: Keeping the economy running during war in Ukraine

Life and employment go on in Ukraine but the war has created many pressing and unprecedented issues for employers and employees. Our lawyers in Ukraine have been keeping us posted about the numerous labour law questions that are arising from both the employer’s and employees‘ point of view.  New legal provisions have established some temporary rules. Recruitment issues Provisions of a new law are aimed…

New agreement on initiatives against sexual harassment in Denmark

The Danish government and social partners have entered into a tripartite agreement on sexual harassment to support and encourage a cultural change in this area. The Danish government and social partners have entered into a agreement on initiatives to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Composed of 17 initiatives, the agreement will provide the necessary tools for employers to prevent and deal with sexual harassment…

‘Living with Covid’: what does it mean for UK workplaces?

Under the UK government’s new Living with Covid strategy, mandatory self-isolation has now ended in England and free testing will end on 1 April. What does this mean for employers? On 21 February 2022, the UK government published its plan for Living with Covid including the timetable for removing Covid measures in England. From 24 February, the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test was replaced…