18 November 2021
Employees at the UK supermarket chain, Marks & Spencer (M&S), can choose to wear a badge specifying the personal pronouns with which they wish to be identified. M&S that recently revealed this information in a LinkedIn post, said that employees can opt to wear “whichever combination of pronouns” they choose. In office settings where badges aren’t used, employees are encouraged to specify their preferred pronouns in their email signatures. David Parke, Food PR Manager in Croydon, UK, posted a...
15 November 2021
In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from next year, as encouraged by the draft resolution from the COP26 climate change summit, UK-headquartered law firm Stephenson Harwood has announced that it will offer an electric car leasing scheme to 550 employees in London. The law firm, which employs 1,100 people across the globe, says the “benefit” announced at the start of November will be offered via a “salary sacrifice” model, whereby staff can opt to reduce their salary in exchange for a non-cash...
2 November 2021
Ikea has reached a one-year ‘inclusive’ collective bargaining agreement with the FNV trade union (01 October 2021 – 31 August 2022), which is designed to reduce differences between employees within the company. In it, the Swedish home furniture and furnishings retail chain has notably decided to provide paid leave for transgender people seeking to change gender. These employees will be able to take 24 weeks of leave over a 10-year period for medical and non-medical treatment. Ikea is the first business...
21 October 2021
The Spanish subsidiary of the Italian insurance group has given itself three years to comply with the 2% legal minimum employment target for those with disabilities. Currently out of a total of almost 2,000 employed in Spain, only 30 staff have disabilities. To this end, it has signed an agreement with the ONCE Foundation, a foundation structure specializing in the social and employment inclusion of people with disabilities, and it has undertaken to put actions in place that will facilitate the their employment.
20 October 2021
“From today all my colleagues can claim on expenses their prescription costs when they are recommended HRT. It’s so important that we support our colleagues going through the menopause,” tweeted James Timpson, CEO of the family-owned network of UK shoe and locksmith stores bearing his name. The announcement was made on 18 October, World Menopause Day and comes as Labour MP Carolyn Harris is due to introduce a bill at the end of the month calling for the reimbursement of HRT costs. Already free of charge in...
12 October 2021
Rolls-Royce is looking for the best undergraduate student with a neurodivergent condition such as autism, hyperactivity, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. The engine manufacturer, which sponsors several categories within the annual ‘Undergraduate of the Year Awards’, has just created a new award entitled ‘Undergraduate of the Year Award Celebrating Neurodiverse Talent.’ The winner, who is yet to graduate and whose name will be revealed in April, will receive, among other things, a 10-week paid internship with...
11 October 2021
Since the start of the month various leading UK businesses – including supermarket giant Tesco, professional services firm PwC, health insurance company Bupa, publisher HarperCollins and bank Santander – have signed a public pledge to provide to support to staff going through the menopause. Under the Menopause Workplace Pledge – launched by the Wellbeing of Women charity and Hello! Magazine, and supported by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, a member of the British royal family – signatory firms recognise the...
4 October 2021
As France gears up to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the national carer’s day, which is celebrated on 6 October, Nathalie Gateau, director for engagement and social stewardship at Apicil, the French social protection group, explains why companies must support their employees who act as carers. She underlines the need to create dedicated forums for discussion and covers the...
28 September 2021
Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has set a new diversity goal. The management consulting firm intends that by 2025, 5% of its workforce in Germany and Austria will be members of LGBTQ+ community (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, non-binary…), as compared with 2% currently. According to BCG, by setting out this objective the company aims to send a signal inside and outside the company, and above all to encourage diversity (a key success element) in the company.
27 September 2021
Uber, the US ride hailing company, announced on 24 September that it will set up a pension fund with auto-enrolment for its 70,000 drivers in the UK. This unprecedented move comes after the country’s Supreme Court ruling in February of this year, which said Uber drivers should be classed as workers as opposed to self-employed and should therefore enjoy certain rights (see article n°12369). However, the US tech giant seems keen to go beyond what the ruling requires and redefine its corporate policy more broadly...
