Topic: Europe

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Artificial Intelligence and employment law

Photo of Joanna MacKenzieBy Joanna MacKenzie on Posted in General, UK
On 11 August 2023, the UK House of Commons published a research briefing paper on artificial intelligence (AI) and employment law.  The paper provides an overview of AI and its various subcategories, outlines current uses of AI in the workplace, considers the implications of using AI and summarises the current proposals to regulate such use.  … Continue reading

Increase to civil penalties for illegal working

Photo of Charlotte EmmersonBy Charlotte Emmerson on Posted in General, UK
All UK employers must carry out right to work checks before employing someone, to ensure that the individual is legally permitted, by reason of their immigration status, to carry out the work in question. Correctly conducting a right to work check prior to employment will provide the employer with a statutory excuse against illegal working. … Continue reading

Deutsches Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz verabschiedet – Was Unternehmen jetzt beachten müssen

Photo of Frank WeberndörferPhoto of Claudia PosluschnyBy Frank Weberndörfer and Claudia Posluschny on Posted in Europe, Germany
Nach mehreren Verzögerungen im Gesetzgebungsverfahren hat der deutsche Gesetzgeber das Hinweisgeberschutzgesetz („HinSchG“) verabschiedet. Mit dem Gesetz wird die EU-Whistleblower-Richtlinie (RL (EU) 2019/1937) umgesetzt; entsprechende Gesetzgebungsverfahren sind in vielen EU-Ländern noch auf dem Weg. Mit einem Inkrafttreten ist ca. Mitte Juni 2023 zu rechnen. Unternehmen sind nun in der Pflicht, innerhalb kürzester Zeit eine interne Meldestelle … Continue reading

What next for UK Employment law?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Safwan Afridi on Posted in Europe, General, UK
The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 preserved a number of EU laws in UK statute as Retained EU Law (REUL).  The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (REUL Bill) was introduced to amend, remove and replace the REULs that the UK government deemed to be unsuitable and replace them with bespoke UK provisions.  The … Continue reading

Whistleblowers Protection Act entered into force: What you need to know

Global Workplace InsiderPhoto of Selma JonkerBy Rob van Eldik and Selma Jonker on Posted in Europe, The Netherlands
The Whistleblowers Protection Act was passed by the Senate on 24 January 2023 and entered into force on 18  February. With this Act, the Netherlands implements the 2019 European Whistleblowers Directive. The Act replaces the current House for Whistleblowers Act. The Act brings significant changes for employers. The main changes employers need to consider are … Continue reading

Restrictive covenants – severance of words with “fantastical” consequences and the impact of delay in issuing proceedings

Photo of Ben WrightBy Ben Wright on Posted in UK
In the recent case of Boydell v NZP Ltd and others [2023] EWCA Civ 373 the Court of Appeal considered two key issues in relation to a non-compete clause: First with regard to severance: whether the High Court’s decision to sever words from a non-compete clause went beyond the principles set out by the Supreme … Continue reading

UK: Changes in employment law current rates and limits – April 2023

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)By Amanda Sanders (UK) on Posted in General, UK
April marks the annual increase in the limits (maximum and minimum) applying to certain awards of Employment Tribunals and other amounts payable under employment legislation. Employers should ensure that they are aware of these changes and make adjustments where appropriate. Maximum Compensation Limits From 6 April 2023, there will be increases to the maximum compensation … Continue reading

Remuneration of works councils: Liability trap for HR managers

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, General, Germany
The remuneration of employee representatives on works councils is intended to save employers money and at the same time ensure cooperation based on trust. In a recent decision, the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH, 10.01.2023 – 6 StR 133/22) sets strict requirements for the legality of the level of such remuneration and does not … Continue reading

Vergütung von Betriebsräten: Haftungsfalle für Personalverantwortliche

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, General, Germany
Die Vergütung von Betriebsräten soll Arbeitgebern Geld sparen und gleichzeitig eine vertrauensvolle Zusammenarbeit sicherstellen. Der Bundesgerichtshof macht in einer jüngeren Entscheidung strenge Vorgaben zur deren Rechtmäßigkeit (BGH, 10.01.2023 – 6 StR 133/22) und schließt eine mögliche Strafbarkeit wegen vorsätzlicher Untreue bei überhöhten Entgelten nicht aus. Arbeitgeber sollten diese Entscheidung zum Anlass nehmen, ihre bisherige Vergütungspraxis … Continue reading

CMA Advice on how to avoid anti-competitive behaviour

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)By Amanda Sanders (UK) on Posted in General, UK
On 9 February the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) published a short guidance note for employers on how to avoid anti-competitive behaviour. The aim of the guide is to boost compliance with the rules regarding anti-competitive behaviour and to remind employers of their legal obligations.  The CMA points out that anti-competitive agreements can negatively impact … Continue reading

Germany – What to expect in 2023

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, General, Germany
German employment law will introduce numerous innovations and planned changes in 2023 that HR managers should be aware of. New legislation enters into force A number of new regulations have been in force since 1 January 2023. For example, employees with statutory health insurance will no longer have to submit a certificate of incapacity for … Continue reading

Arbeitsrecht 2023: Was ändert sich?

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, Germany
Das deutsche Arbeitsrecht bringt im Jahr 2023 zahlreiche Neuerungen und geplante Änderungen, die Personalverantwortliche kennen sollten. (English version available here.) Neuerungen Seit dem 1. Januar 2023 sind einige Neuregelungen in Kraft. Beispielsweise müssen gesetzlich versicherte Arbeitnehmer ihrem Arbeitgeber künftig keine Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung mehr vorlegen. Der sogenannte „gelbe Schein“ in Papierform wird insofern abgeschafft. Arbeitgeber sind nun verpflichtet, … Continue reading

Employment Law – What to expect in 2023

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)By Amanda Sanders (UK) on Posted in General, UK
Last year saw little legislative changes in the UK with regard to employment law.  However, there may be changes of interest for employment lawyers over the coming year.   This blog post looks at what changes employers can expect in relation to employment law this year and what steps they should be taking to prepare for … Continue reading

Gesetzlicher Mindesturlaub: Informationspflichten des Arbeitgebers

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, Germany
Das Bundesarbeitsgericht (BAG, 20.12.2022 – 9 AZR 266/20) hat die Regelungen zum gesetzlichen Mindesturlaub weiterentwickelt. Urlaubsansprüche verfallen demnach nicht mehr nach Ablauf der dreijährigen Verjährungsfrist, wenn Arbeitgeber ihre Arbeitnehmer nicht regelmäßig über ihre konkreten Urlaubsansprüche und die Verfallfristen informieren. Arbeitnehmer könnten so ihren Urlaub zeitlich unbefristet ansammeln mit zum Teil nicht unerheblichen finanziellen Auswirkungen bei … Continue reading

Employment law – Government backing of Private Members Bills

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)By Amanda Sanders (UK) on Posted in General, UK
In the Queen’s speech in December 2019 the Government announced its intention to bring about changes to employment laws in a new Employment Bill.  These changes included provisions relating to carers leave, extension of protection for employees on maternity leave, rights regarding tips and gratuities, the right to request a more predictable and stable contract … Continue reading

Working time compliance: Legal obligation to record working time

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, General, Germany
The German Federal Labour Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) has now published the reasons for its much-noted decision of 13 September 2022 (ref. 1 ABR 22/21). It is now clear that the recording of working time is a fundamental duty of occupational health and safety and must be observed. However, employers still have to wait for … Continue reading

Arbeitszeit-Compliance: Zeiterfassung zwingend erforderlich

Photo of Claudia PosluschnyPhoto of Frank WeberndörferBy Claudia Posluschny and Frank Weberndörfer on Posted in Europe, General, Germany
Das Bundesarbeitsgericht (BAG) veröffentlichte nun die Entscheidungsgründe zu seiner vielbeachteten Entscheidung vom 13.09.2022 (Az. 1 ABR 22/21). Nunmehr ist klar, dass die Arbeitszeiterfassung als grundlegende Pflicht des betrieblichen Arbeits- und Gesundheitsschutzes gilt und verbindlich zu beachten ist. Bei wichtigen Detailfragen müssen Arbeitgeber jedoch noch auf die Klarstellung durch den Gesetzgeber warten. (English version available here) … Continue reading

“Quiet quitting” has been included in Collins Dictionary’s top 10 words of the year for 2022 – but what is it?

Global Workplace InsiderBy Safwan Afridi on Posted in Contracts, UK
For most, a contract of employment (or similar written terms of employment) and job description will set out the terms and conditions of the working relationship with their employer.  Among other things, it will include the individual’s contractual hours of work and may include the scope of their duties.  So what is the issue if … Continue reading

EAT decision reminds employers of the need for genuine consultation and reasonable selection criteria when carrying out redundancies 

Photo of Joanna MacKenzieBy Joanna MacKenzie on Posted in General, UK
In the recent case of Mogane v Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2022] UKEAT 139, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) found that the redundancy dismissal of a fixed term employee was unfair due to a lack of genuine consultation and the use of arbitrary selection criteria.   The Claimant, Ms Mogane, was employed as … Continue reading

Can an employer settle future statutory claims in a settlement agreement?

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)By Amanda Sanders (UK) and Safwan Afridi on Posted in General, UK
Employees may have claims against their employer that can arise during the recruitment process, the employment or on termination.  In this case, the parties may enter into a formal settlement agreement to settle most statutory employment claims.  In order for any such agreement to be binding it must satisfy certain conditions.  The extent of these … Continue reading

UK Government to reform or revoke retained EU law

Photo of Amanda Sanders (UK)Photo of Joanna MacKenzieBy Amanda Sanders (UK) and Joanna MacKenzie on Posted in UK
On 22 September 2022, the UK Government introduced the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, pursuant to which all EU law introduced into the UK legal system following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020 (Retained EU Law) must be reviewed and either replaced with new domestic legislation or automatically … Continue reading

Italy’s Jobs Act under scrutiny: Are critics missing the big picture?

Photo of Attilio PavoneBy Attilio Pavone on Posted in Europe, General, Italy
In the final days of the particularly tense campaign leading up to the parliamentary election in Italy, politicians from all sides of the political spectrum made bold proclamations on a variety of topics; for the most part, this was predictable and inevitable. Nevertheless, it was surprising to read the statements made by two former labour … Continue reading
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