26 September 2022
As announced in June of this year (see article n°13106), the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights has judged the capping of labour tribunal...
26 September 2022
The so-called “Living Wage”, which is paid voluntarily by more than 11,000 employers across the UK, was increased to £10.90 (€12.03) an hour by the Living Wage Foundation, the organisation driving the movement. This change, announced by the organisation on 22 September, should benefit some...
26 September 2022
Social partners in Italy’s food sector have signed two protocols in the space of just a few days. The first seeks to foster gender equality in the workplace, while the second aims to guide social relations in the sector towards environmental protection....
23 September 2022
Shopping vouchers, free meals and even a second pay rise in the same year – a host of measures have been announced in the UK retail sector to support staff amid rising prices. Such measures also serve to make employment in the sector more attractive, as it...
23 September 2022
Canadian e-commerce firm Shopify, which has seen its share price plummet 75% in the space of a year, has decided to adjust its remuneration system. The company’s workforce, which stands at 10,000 employees worldwide, will be able to choose how their pay is split between cash and shares. Shopify’s...
22 September 2022
On 13 September, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) released its Guidelines on Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains. The aim is to promote respect for human rights within companies and facilitate the implementation of human rights monitoring mechanisms in supply chains....
Corporate social responsibility
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14 September 2022
On 05 September the National Skills Academy for Food and Drink (NSAFD) together with the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) unveiled the launch of a Food and Drink Careers Passport to help people acquire the basic skills needed to start a career in the food and drink industry. Designed for job seekers, who can, under certain conditions, benefit from it free of charge, this passport can also be given by companies. Designed and developed by the sector, it provides for a comprehensive and 100% online training course...
9 September 2022
The John Lewis Partnership, which owns the eponymous department store chain as well as Waitrose supermarkets, announced on 31 August that it is to give its some 80,000 employees free meals between 3 October and 6 January. The aim of the policy is to help them contend with the sharply rising cost of living, with the rate of inflation having exceeded 10%. The meals will be given during working hours to both permanent employees and temporary workers. A John Lewis spokesperson said that one meal will be offered for a...
8 September 2022
California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has finally signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act/ FAST Recovery Act, or AB 257, which will improve working conditions in the fast food industry in his state (c.f. article No.13181). The act establishes a Fast Food Council within the Department of Industrial Relations that will comprise 10 members including 4 employer representatives, 4 employee representatives, one representative from the Department of Industrial Relations, and one...
Digital tools
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2 September 2022
The metaverse, a digital universe in 2D or virtual reality, usable with a simple screen or an adapted headset, is being harnessed by a growing number of companies. It offers HR professionals vast potential for experimentation, training, recruitment and collaborative work, thanks to the scope for immersion and its playful nature. Companies that have made use of the metaverse have praised it for these benefits and, if deployed on a broader scale, this technology could revolutionise the future of work. However, its...
14 June 2022
On 13 June, the UK government presented a series of measures aimed at developing the digital economy and creating more high-skilled, well-paid jobs in the digital sector. The plan includes the establishment of a Digital Skills Council comprising training experts and business leaders. It will be tasked with tackling the digital skills gap in the UK, at a time when 80% of jobs require digital skills yet many employers are struggling to find people skilled in this area. The Digital Skills Council will especially...
25 April 2022
The Jobs in Motion programme launched in 2020 by French financial services group Natixis aims to train staff for emerging roles in tech, data and corporate social responsibility. The initiative harnesses an artificial intelligence-based programme that detects the most suitable job for each employee. This innovation in the field of human resources, which should affect some 600 employees in France, received recognition from the French national association of HR directors in March.
HR practices
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21 September 2022
More than one million employees resigned their jobs in the first half of 2022, almost 32% more than in the first six months of 2021. On 15 September, monthly jobs data from the INPS Osservatario del Precariato confirmed the Italian-style “Great Resignation” has occurred, which many HR heads had already sensed. The INPS flow data showed that employee resignations (from permanent employment contracts) exceeded 624,000 in the first half of the year, 22% more than in the same period last year, and 28% more...
19 September 2022
Amid major difficulties in recruiting bus drivers, the RATP, the state-owned operator of the Paris public transport system, is leveraging co-option and increasing the level of recruitment via apprenticeships. Furthermore, to broaden its pool of candidates, the operator has also decided to lower the age at which people can join its career development path, from 21 at present to 18. This year, out of the 1,500 bus driver positions open for the Ile-de-France network, 800 are yet to be filled.
12 September 2022
The French business of Italian insurance group Generali has opted to let its teams draw up charters setting out arrangements for remote work, within the boundaries of an agreement that imposes a 40% rate of work in person and one day on site per week. According to Sylvie Peretti, the company’s HR director, who spoke to Planet Labor, this level of autonomy is made possible by the support of managers and the maturity of the teams.
Industrial relations
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9 September 2022
Troubled Italian banking group Monte dei Paschi di Siena signed an agreement on 4 August with the FABI, First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca and Unisin trade unions, under which there will be 3,500 voluntary departures this year – out of the 21,000 people employed by the group – through an early retirement scheme. The aim for MPS is to help it execute its 2022-2026 strategic plan. Managerial staff at the Italian banking group (excluding executives) whose pension rights begin between 1 December 2022 and 1 December...
5 September 2022
Faced with having to keep a lid on costs at a time when the sector is undergoing fierce competition and traditional business activities are in decline, TIM ( French mass media company Vivendi is TIM’s major shareholder) is implementing another new staff restructuring plan. In it are moves to combine technical unemployment and retraining for three quarters of the headcount, as well as provisions for more than 2,200 voluntary early retirements alongside more than 550 new hires in a bid to refresh the skills pool.
30 August 2022
French postal service company La Poste and five trade unions have signed the firm’s fifth agreement on gender equality in the workplace. The agreement, signed on 21 July 2022 and binding for a period of three years, maintains the provisions of the 2019 text and steps up efforts to foster gender diversity in the workplace, occupational health care for women and access to remote work during pregnancy.
Legal developments
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22 September 2022
Food delivery platform Glovo has been fined €50 million by the labour inspectorate for evading its obligation to employ more than 10,614 couriers. The company will also have to pay €29 million in lieu of unpaid social security contributions.
22 September 2022
The Aiuti Bis (Additional Aid decree c.f. article No.13179), that passed into law during the final Senate reading on 20 September, includes two new important points as regards agile working. First, the right to 100% smart working for vulnerable workers and parents of children under 14 years old is being extended until 31 December 2022. This measure allows vulnerable people (immunocompromised workers, oncology patients, employees with severe disabilities, etc.) to work entirely remotely, even if their usual tasks...
21 September 2022
On 20 September the Dutch government unveiled a €17 billion flagship plan to fight inflation and soaring energy prices. In January 2023, the minimum salary will be increased by 10% as compared to 2022, boosting the monthly level to €1,932 and making this the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg (c.f. article No. 13080). The previous increase dates back just a few months to July 2022, but was only 1.8% (c.f. article No. 13124). According to Statistics Netherlands (the national statistical office), that...