German Federal Labor Court Rules on Untaken Paid Leave

?On Dec. 20, 2022, the German Federal Labor Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht, BAG) issued two important decisions on untaken paid leave with significant implications for all employers in Germany: First, the BAG ruled that paid... Read more »

UK: Can an Employer Check an Applicant’s Criminal Record?

?In December 2022, the U.K. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) marked its 10-year anniversary of helping make recruitment safer. The DBS processes and issues checks of job applicants’ criminal records, along with maintaining records... Read more »

Europe: Communicating with Works Councils over Planned Worker Dismissals

?The role of works councils in negotiating with employers over the dismissal of employees varies widely throughout Europe, often depending on whether the termination is a collective dismissal or that of an... Read more »

The New German Whistleblower Protection Act

?The German Bundestag passed the German Whistleblower Protection Act on Dec. 16, 2022. After initially not being expected to be passed in 2022, the bill did make it onto the agenda of... Read more »

EU Parliament and Council Agree on New Rules for Pay Transparency

On Dec. 15, 2022, the European Parliament and Council reached an agreement on pay transparency measures. Here are the key measures set out in the directive. Contents In March 2021, the EU... Read more »

Best Practices for Suspensions in the UK

?A U.K. High Court decision, lower court opinions, and recent guidance from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) highlight the importance of employers paying attention to their suspension policies. High Court... Read more »

UK Legislative Developments to Expect in 2023

?Following another busy year of employment law developments in the U.K., we look to 2023 and the legislative changes employers might expect to see. Employee Rights There are several bills currently passing... Read more »

France Takes Steps to Fight Inflation’s Effects on Workers

?With inflation reaching 5.6 percent in France as of September, the French government has taken steps to alleviate the effects of rising costs on employees and employers in the country. Most of... Read more »

Employers Confront Inflation in the UK

As employers and employees cope with the continuing effects of inflation in the U.K., political instability has made it necessary to craft policies independent of uncertain governmental budgets. In late September, the... Read more »

Managing the Risks of Employees Who Use Machinery in the UK

?A company that employed grounds workers in the U.K. instructed the employees to wear ear protection as they went about their work using lawn mowers and other loud machinery. However, several employees... Read more »