United Kingdom: several large firms commit to reserve roles for military veterans Corporate practices Six international companies have signed up to the 15,000 Futures programme in the UK. This innovative scheme, launched by Australian social impact firm WithYouWithMe (WYWM), aims to help military veterans and their partners find a job, including by providing them with free online training in new forms of technology.
Great Britain: the government is funding thousands of training courses in the green sector Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 01 December the UK executive announced it was providing £9.2 million (€10.69 million) in new funding for almost 9,000 green energy related training courses at accredited centres.…
Netherlands: the government is seeking to encourage older workers to work beyond retirement age Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment, Karien Van Gennip, has announced that she is seeking to change how companies view older employees in order to improve their situation on the labour market.…
France: companies step up efforts to combat domestic violence (study) Corporate practices On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the French office of the International Labour Organization has published a paper on the policies on domestic violence adopted by 18 large companies. The research reveals a broad scope of measures taken by firms in this area, to provide support, raise awareness and promote social dialogue, with many adopting a global policy.
Great Britain: launch of an index to evaluate corporate health oriented policies Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 15 November the UK employers’ organisation, the CBI (Confederation of British Industry) launched the Work Health Index (WHI). In a first, this unique tool, created with support from the NHS and the government, allows all private businesses, should they so wish, to evaluate what they are doing in terms of their employees’ health and well-being.
Italy: latest public ‘New Skills’ fund will enable companies to finance training for the ecological and digital transition Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders Established in 2020 to finance massive professional requalification plans, the State’s ‘New Skills’ fund has just undergone a relaunch. At the end of October, Italy’s Court of Audit approved the €1 billion refinancing request made by the previous government. However, businesses only have until 31 December to sign the requisite trade union agreements in order to obtain the funds.
China: covid outbreak forces an exodus of hundreds of Foxconn workers Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 06 November Apple warned its customers that shipments of the latest iPhone models would be delayed because of a Covid outbreak at the Foxconn Zhengzhou plant, in Henan province, which is the company’s main production facility for the latest iPhone 14 Pro. While the US corporate giant maintains "the health and safety of employees comes first", the same cannot necessarily be said for its supplier contractor Foxconn. Since October 2022, the production facility, which employs some 300,000 appears to have been prioritising production metrics over health and safety regulations.
Great Britain: Interserve fined more than £4 million following employee personal data leak Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 24 October the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the independent supervisory body responsible for ensuring data protection, announced it had imposed a £4.4 million (€5.08 million) fine on UK construction company Interserve for breaches of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The UK company is accused of inadequate vigilance that resulted in the theft of the personal data of its 113,000 employees and ex-employees.
Free Great Britain: an online guidance service for companies to facilitate the employment of those living with disability Initiatives from the public authorities and other stakeholders On 17 October the government announced the launch of an online platform providing guidance for employers to help them support and encourage the employment of people with illnesses or disabilities.…
Free Deloitte to train all employees on climate issues Corporate practices On 26 September, and one year after presenting its first climate change training program that has benefited 330,000 employees (c.f.…
