Work/Life: international employment news update

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Issue 86

Welcome to the latest edition of our international employment news update.

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ITV staff must declare all personal relationships at work

ITV has introduced a new policy that requires its staff to declare relationships with colleagues, including, most controversially, friendships. The workplace was blighted by presenter Philip Schofield's resignation in May of this year, after admitting to a relationship with a younger male colleague which Schofield called "unwise but not illegal."

The TV network's new 'Personal Relationships at Work' Policy was sent to staff in October 2023, and informed recipients that they must disclose any relationships with colleagues including anyone they were living with and "anyone involved in a sexual, romantic or close relationship or friendship (whether short or longer term)," revealed the Sunday Times. A spokesperson for ITV stated that the network implemented a policy on relationships at work in October of last year, which, like all of its policies, is periodically reviewed and updated.

It is reported that staff caught breaching the policy could face disciplinary action by ITV.

Poland has the highest employment rate among Ukrainian refugees, finds OECD study

Poland has the highest employment rate among Ukrainian refugees in the OECD, with 65% of working-age refugees being employed. The OECD attributes this integration success to the immediate labour market access, refugee qualifications, and diaspora networks in host countries.

British AI investment boom jars with skills shortage

Private investment in AI reached £3 billion last year in Britain, as workplaces looked to boost worker productivity, improve offerings and polish customer experiences. The total invested in Britain was nearly double that of Europe combined, revealed a research study supported by EY.

However, many domestic workplaces in Britain are reported to comment that the technical skills available limit them from best investing in and profiting from AI tools that could help efficiency and growth.

Minimum wage will see a considerable rise in Slovakia

Social partners have agreed on the minimum monthly wage for Slovak employees in 2024, setting it at EUR 750, which represents an increase of around 7% compared to this year. In fact, this is only the second time that social partners have managed to agree on the amount of the minimum monthly wage for the upcoming year.

Dutch-speaking employee numbers are dwindling in the Netherlands' vacancy-heavy labour market

It is increasingly common to encounter an employee who can’t speak Dutch in supermarkets and other stores in the Netherlands. That is mainly due to the tight labour market - shops have had to drop their requirement that employees can speak Dutch to fill their vacancies, NOS reports after surveying various chains. But many also cite diversity as a reason to employ people who speak other languages.

The labour market in the Netherlands currently has more vacancies than job seekers, and this imbalance could worsen in the upcoming years, according to the benefits agency UWV, Nu.nl reported in October. To address this shortage, the agency believes all solutions should be explored, including the employment of more migrant workers.

Final ICO guidance received on data monitoring at work

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) published its final guidance on worker monitoring in October 2023, helping employers better adhere to data protection law.

The guidance lays out the legal parameters of monitoring workers, whether done as an ad hoc practice or a systematic one, and applies to private and public companies alike. The headline point is that monitoring conducted must be necessary, proportionate and respect the rights of workers, in a bid to secure more transparency and, somewhat oxymoronically, privacy.

BNP Paribas Bank Polska is planning collective redundancies. Up to 900 employees may lose their jobs

BNP Paribas Bank Polska expects to carry out a process of collective redundancies between 2024 and 2026 and to cover no more than 900 employees working in its head office and sales network.

Menopause benefits on rise as those affected equal 20% of US workforce

Household name employers in the US are starting to offer packages of "menopause benefits" to affected employees. Companies like Microsoft, Abercrombie & Fitch and Palantir are offering suites of benefits to attract and retain workers, as those most likely to be affected account for 1/5 of the workforce.

Number of foreigners settling in Hungary has increased considerably

In 10 years, the number of foreigners living in Hungary has increased by 61%, the Head of the Center for Economic Policy of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), pointed out in a post on his social media page. Among others, the number of immigrants from Germany, Austria and the United States have increased: most strikingly, in the case of Germans by 34.9% in the last 4 years, presumably also due to a solid German-speaking infrastructure, relatively easy integration and low crime rates.

Bankers' bonus caps scrapped in UK

The cap on bankers' bonuses in the UK is being retired from 31 October 2023. Scrapped former rules dictated that employees of banks, building societies and investment firms could receive bonus payments that amounted to a maximum of twice their basic salary.

The lift comes as a post-Brexit move designed to make London a more attractive business hub, asserted the policy's engineer and former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng. Caps on bankers' bonuses were initially brought in during 2014, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Reception among bank workers has been surprisingly mixed, some of whom reportedly enjoy the security of higher basic salaries and a less volatile income.