17 January 2022
An increasing number of companies in Japan are offering their staff the option of working a 32-hour week, in keeping with recommendations issued by the country’s government in June last year (see article n°12606). The government’s aim, which has become all the more pressing against the backdrop of the pandemic, is not only to free up time for those who want to take up training or change professions, but also to allow people to better divide their time between leisure, family, friends and work. The aim is...
12 January 2022
Since 2018, Axa has been using the French start-up Mixity, which specialises in generating diversity & inclusion footprint ratings, to assess the company’s status and progress on criteria relating to gender, disability, ethnicity, age generation, and LGBTQI+ issues. The ratings and areas for improvement are made public and complement the agreements signed with the trade unions on the subject. For the insurance group, this type of publication also operates as an employer branding tool.
12 January 2022
The slender minority of employees at Citigroup who refuse a Covid-19 vaccine will be fired at the end of January. In this way the US financial institution is following the example of internet giant Google and the United Airlines carrier, which have also put employment termination conditions in place for staff refusing vaccination. These companies are faithfully following the White House’s mandate imposing vaccination on all companies with more than 100 employees. This mandate was heavily criticised by...
11 January 2022
From 10 January, employees of the Wessex Water company who have not received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and who do not have any medical evidence justifying their status will only receive statutory sickness benefit, if they have to self-isolate as a result of being a close Covid-19 contact. The basic benefit is much lower than the amount usually paid by the employer. In cases where employees present a positive Covid test, 100% sickness benefit will be paid again. “Absences due to Covid have doubled...
10 January 2022
The French mutual insurance group Maif has struck an agreement, valid for three years and signed by all trade unions at the company, that will foster the employment of disabled people. At present, some 6.41% of Maif employees are disabled, and the insurer has committed to hiring at least 40 disabled workers for the period from 2022 to 2024, including 15 on permanent contracts. Meanwhile, under the agreement reached, disabled employees may opt for part-time work after five years of service at the company. Such...
6 January 2022
Launched in the autumn of 2020 and right in the middle of two Covid-related lockdown periods, the French construction and materials group’s internal apprentice training centre has already trained 60 young people in sales and industrial maintenance professions. Encouraged by the results of the centre’s first year’s graduates, Saint-Gobain will create new courses and intends to take on even more apprentices for the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, in the autumn of 2022. This is a way for Saint-Gobain...
5 January 2022
The 2,500 employees of the specialist over-50’s insurance group will now be able to take a week of paid time off after the birth of their grandchildren. Saga, which introduced the scheme on 09 December, believes it is the first major UK employer to do so.
4 January 2022
On 13 December 2021, and in order to accelerate ‘the diversity revolution and deliver projects that showcase society,’ Publicis Groupe Belgium & Netherlands announced the launch of THE SPA (The Shaping Progress Academy). This programme is open to students from all over the world, who are located in a -5h/+5h CET time zone and want to develop their creative skills. Starting on 07 January 2022, candidates will work in teams on real briefings for the communication group’s international clients that...
4 January 2022
The Matmut insurance group has adopted a new company agreement addressing the employment of those in situations of disability and care giving. The agreement, which reinforces its inclusion policy, was unanimously signed by the employees’ representative organisations ( CFE-CGC, FO, CFDT, SN2A-CFTC and CGT). Covering the period 2022-2024, the text in particular provides for the hiring of at least 60 employees living with disability and establishes a system whereby care giving employees can access ‘working day...
16 December 2021
The French multinational advertising and public relations company is launching its ‘Work Your World’ programme that will give its employees the opportunity to work from any region or country in which the group operates for a period of up to six weeks each year. With the programme Publicis is striving to meet employee expectations in terms of flexibility and to offer them new opportunities for professional and personal development. Available on its internal Marcel platform, this global programme, which opens in...
