Corporate social responsibility
12 July 2019
With the Global Climate Strike, founded following the movement propelled by the emblematic Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, having called for a global strike to protect the planet on 20 September, some employers are taking the lead on the matter, the Financial Times revealed in recent days. The British newspaper asked major employers what they plan to do when the day of the strike comes around. Patagonia, the US clothing brand, said that it always encourages its employees to campaign for the environment and even...
11 July 2019
After the recent scandal surrounding the discovery of UK’s largest modern slavery network, where a gang in the West Midlands was found to have been busing over victims (400) from Poland, on 09 July the UK government announced it would be cracking down harder on corporates over the issue of slavery. Since 2015 large companies in the UK have to publish an annual report detailing their efforts to counter modern slavery, forced labor and human trafficking (c.f. article No. 9173). However the Interior Minister stated...
18 June 2019
On 12 June, World Day Against Child Labour Day, the Hong-Kong-based NGO, China Labour Bulletin, published an article detailing significantly lower use of child labor, but that notwithstanding, certain problems persist, and that new abusive practices are emerging.
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Digital tools
19 June 2019
In an interview on 04 June with David Green for his website My HR Future, HR Tech advisor, Yvette Cameron shares her vision of blockchain storing and managing data technology as it applies to HR. Planet Labor summarizes her vision below (for the full 38′ podcast, click here).
28 May 2019
Start-ups are increasingly spawning that seek to use AI to revolutionize the world of work. In the densely populated city-State of Singapore (5.6 million living in 722km²), USD 1.4 billion is being invested in this domain that now counts no less than 200 businesses using AI to provide a range of HR solutions. In contrast with the US and Europe where the focus is on new hiring methods, companies in the ‘fully employed’ region of Asia concentrate more on problems related to staff turnover and training.
17 May 2019
Few workers in China will be unaware of the existence of DingDing, the application used for organisation and communication within companies. Launched in 2014, the application has grown to become the number one workplace social network in the world. It is mainly used in China, where it has been downloaded more than 400,000 times using the Huawei Store. Amid the 996 scandal (see article n°11113), which has shed a light on the intensive working hours in China’s technology industry, there are ethical questions...
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HR practices
6 June 2019
The HR Innovation Lab recently launched by Orange Business Services is a mix between a think tank and a laboratory, intended as a venue for observing developments beyond the company, not only in France but also abroad, in the area of new human resource practices, as well as technology and the impact on workers. In keeping with the operations of Orange Business Services, a division of the Orange group providing IT and telecommunications services to companies in France and across the world, the lab also provides an...
6 June 2019
Spanish telecommunications giant Telefónica, which is present in 24 countries and employs more than 120,000 people across the world, spoke to Planet Labor about its digitalisation ambitions and the measures required to make these a reality. The push includes a comprehensive policy involving all its services, with the aim of increasing efficiency and cutting costs.
3 June 2019
21 June is ‘Bring your dog to work day’ and man’s best friend has definitely found its place in the UK workplace. Already a quarter of UK companies have adopted a dog-friendly policy and another 28% hope to instigate one. Both known for their calming effects and upbeat demeanor, advocates consider canines to be ‘super-work colleagues’ as well as being a key advantage when hiring millennial candidates.
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Industrial relations
12 July 2019
With the Global Climate Strike, founded following the movement propelled by the emblematic Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, having called for a global strike to protect the planet on 20 September, some employers are taking the lead on the matter, the Financial Times revealed in recent days. The British newspaper asked major employers what they plan to do when the day of the strike comes around. Patagonia, the US clothing brand, said that it always encourages its employees to campaign for the environment and even...
10 July 2019
Following months of tensions the major Labour Party affiliated trade unions have finally agreed on a common position over Brexit. They are calling for a referendum to be held over any deal (or indeed a no deal) between the EU and the Conservative government and they will use such an occasion to campaign for remaining in the EU.
9 July 2019
This global framework agreement, which was signed on 09 July by the French automaker Renault Group along with IndustriALL Global Union, the Secretary of the Renault Group Works Council (a global council) and the trade union bodies represented within it, is in fact quite unique. Entitled, ‘Building the world of work together at Renault Group’, Renault’s second global framework agreement (its first was signed in 2013 and addressed fundamental rights at work, c.f. article No. 130445) comes at a time when the...
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Legal developments
12 July 2019
The UK minister for women and inequalities, Penny Mordaunt, has unveiled a new action plan to offer better protection to people who fall victim to sexual harassment. The plan involves an extensive consultation on the matter, which reflects on the need to make employers legally responsible for protecting their male and female employees. The consultation also considers new measures to protect workers from harassment by third parties.
12 July 2019
Thanks to an unprecedented political backdrop, members of the Austrian parliament have engaged in a period of legislative frenzy in recent weeks, passing a record number of new laws. According to report published on the parliament’s website, some 30 laws were passed in two sittings in the house, close to one quarter of all laws passed since September 2018. New provisions include one month of parental leave for new fathers and an increase of the lower limit on old-age pensions for those who have contributed for...
11 July 2019
On 10 July, CDU (German Conservative Party) member Ursula von de Leyen met with seven EU parliamentary groups as she sought to present her set of priorities in a bid to win their backing for her candidacy as European Commission President, the vote for which is set for 16 July. During a press conference following the meetings, the President-elect sketched out her two primary axes for the...
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