31 March 2021
On 30 March car manufacturer Volvo Cars announced it is opting-in its more than 40,000 employees globally, in all plants and offices, into a new all-gender, paid parental leave policy. From 01 April, Volvo Cars employees will be able to receive 80% of their salary for 24 weeks over a period of up to 3 years after the birth of a child. This initiative is not new for the carmaker, which is extending its 2019 initiative launched for its employees in the Europe/Middle East/Africa area. The company’s statement noted...
24 March 2021
On 22 March the Italian bank announced its implementation of a group-wide minimum standard maternity leave of 16 weeks (paid) and 4 weeks for fathers (voluntary), which will apply globally from April 2021. The press release notes, ‘The new parental leave standard is part of a larger set of welfare initiatives many of which have been specifically strengthened also in the context of the Covid-19 emergency.’ The statement refers to the bank’s initiative in establishing a dedicated Family Board comprising a...
10 February 2021
US mass retailer Kroger, which employs almost 370,000, has joined a list of US companies and announced a lump sum bonus for employees who get inoculated. “As we move into a new phase of the pandemic, we’re increasing our investment to not only recognize our associates’ contributions, but also encourage them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes available to them to optimize their well-being as well as the community’s,” said Tim Massa, Kroger’s Chief Human Resources...
10 December 2020
After recently adopting a similar approach in other European countries, the mobile app-based home food delivery giant Just Eat is starting to end its practice of paying per completed job. This gig economy arena revolution means Just Eat drivers can earn at least the minimum hourly wage and enjoy social benefits rights. Between now and March, more than 1,000 employment contracts will be created in London, be they part-time, full-time, or zero hour contracts (i.e. those that guarantee neither working time nor...
14 May 2020
On 13 May Volkswagen’s middle management (some 18,000 mangers) learned that the variable part of their salaries would be reduced in 2020, due to the collapse of the group’s revenues since the development of the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the German auto-manufacturer announced that after having restarted production at the end of April, it was going to slow down production again because of very low demand. This variable salary element is being phased out just one year after the introduction...
29 April 2020
Faced with the ‘unprecedented consequences of the Covid-19 health crisis’, the energy company sought to accelerate the implementation of two of its ENGIE CARE minimum social protection programme pillars. ENGIE CARE will be included in the future global CSR agreement currently under negotiation with the international trade union federations. The Group program will cover hospitalization costs in full for Covid-19 and at least 75% for other conditions as well as life insurance equivalent to 12 months of gross...
16 April 2020
In order to combat the Covid-19 health crisis, 25 of the 100 companies listed on the UK’s flagship FTSE 100 index have cut executive pay, according to a study conducted by the High Pay Centre think tank and the Press Association, which was published on 14 April. The majority of these pay cuts are at the 20% mark, however many groups have gone a step further, such as the hygiene services company Rentokil, the CEO of which reduced their pay packet by 35%. Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, says:...
16 April 2020
Spanish clothing giant Inditex, which owns the retailer Zara, does not plan to make use of the extraordinary temporary lay-off measure (ERTE) that would allow it to claim special aid from the Spanish state, as it deals with the decline in business volumes amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The group’s management has announced to employee representatives that, during the month of April, it alone will bear the cost of closing its 1,580 stores in Spain and the halt to sales. It will therefore pay all salaries during this...
10 April 2020
With demand for telecommunications services having skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic, giant of the UK sector BT has expressed its gratitude to staff by handing a 1.5% pay rise to the majority of its workforce, effective from 1 July. The pay rise goes to 58,000 non-management employees, particularly technicians and call centre workers. Furthermore, BT has promised that none of its employees will lose their jobs over the next three months and that all staff members will still get 100% of their pay, even if...
8 April 2020
In order to lessen the financial impact of the health crisis, audit and consulting firms are looking into the idea of the sabbatical leave option. Thus, professional services firm Grant Thornton has invited its employees to voluntarily choose between one of these two options by April 10, (i) take sabbatical leave until the end of June, during which they will receive 30% of their salary, or (ii) opt for a 40% reduction in their hours and pay until the end of May. Grant Thornton UK said, “These are clearly...
