With older workers leaving the workforce in worrying numbers, this article considers what an ‘over 50s friendly’ workplace might look like, in the UK and beyond. Increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates mean that the world’s population is ageing. This demographic challenge looks set to continue, and there are now more people aged 65 and older than there are aged under five. To succeed,…
On 24 January 2023, the Senate approved the Whistleblowers Protection Act, which replaces the 2016 Whistleblowers Authority Act. On 18 February the Act partially entered into force. The new law introduces new, more protective measures towards so-called ‘whistleblowers’. Whistleblowers are (mostly) employees who make a report because they suspect wrongdoing within the organisation. Under the new law, a whistleblower is also a person who reports…
One year ago, on 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military invasion of Ukraine from three directions – north, east, and south. Putin claims the goal of the invasion is to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, prevent Kyiv from joining NATO, and keep the country within Russia’s sphere of influence. Ukraine and Western countries regard the invasion as an unlawful act of…
To mark UN International Day of Women and girls in Science, on 11 February, we’ve been taking a look at the issue of gender equality in science as a profession. It seems that despite numerous initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality in the workplace, discrimination against women in the field of science continues to be a persistent and systemic issue. From gender bias in the…
See below our Immigration and Global Mobility Update, which shows the changes in global mobility and immigration from around the world over the past two months. We hope you find this information useful and we aim to continue to update you regularly. Immigration & Global Mobility Update Every 2 months, our experts from around the world put together an Update on the law on immigration…
The new year should prompt employers to review (and re-think) their annual leave policies for employees in Israel. As 2022 has just ended and a new (vacation) year begins, it is good timing for reviewing your vacation policy and whether it is enforced in practice. If changes to the policy are planned, make sure to determine and adopt the lawful process for making those changes. Social Benefit Entitlement to annual leave is treated in Israel as a social…
The French Court of Cassation has ruled that an airline dress code that allowed women cabin crew members but not men to wear their hair braided is discriminatory. Background The Air France cabin crew dress code permitted women who had braided hair to wear it tied up in a chignon. This option was not offered for men, who were required to wear their hair neatly…
Belgium has introduced a state-supported temporary unemployment scheme for ‘energy intensive’ companies and other employment-related measures to help businesses and individuals facing the current energy crisis. Today a new law setting out temporary support measures in response to the energy crisis was published in the Belgian State Gazette. This law seeks to provide both citizens and organisations with various measures to face the current energy…
‘Quiet quitting’ has made headlines worldwide this year, including in Canada. What, if anything, should employers be doing about this apparent trend? Chances are, you’ve already heard of ‘quiet quitting’. From Tik-Tok to the Wall Street Journal, this is the latest trend that everyone’s talking about. ‘Quiet quitting’ doesn’t mean quitting your job, quietly or otherwise. It refers to clocking in at work when you’re…
The US National Labor Relations Board has held Tesla’s dress code, which has the effect of preventing certain workers from wearing clothing supporting their union, is not lawful. The ruling confirms employers must show ‘special circumstances’ for dress codes that directly or indirectly outlaw union insignias. Executive Summary On 29 August 2022, in a 3-2 decision, the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board)…