Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in GermanyAs a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Expertise
As a correspondent in Berlin for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business world and labour market. My areas of interest include co-management, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.
Most read articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: introduction of the concept of partial incapacity for work
The news. On 10 July, the German Parliament definitively adopted the “Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in the Statutory Health Insurance System”...
27 August 2026
Germany: AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt raises concerns over labour supply and workplace cohesion
The rise of Germany’s far-right AfD, which could soon gain influence over migration policy in Saxony-Anhalt and, following elections on September 20, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as well, is...
15 September 2026
Germany: a “simplification” proposal for the Corporate Governance Code
In early August, the Government Commission presented proposals to reform the Deutscher Corporate Governance Kodex (DCGK), Germany’s Corporate Governance Code. The proposals are primarily aimed at...
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
26 August 2026
Latest articles by Thomas Schnee
Germany: new definition of salaries for works council members
Following votes in the Bundestag (28 June) and Bundesrat (5 July), the draft 'second law amending the law on the organisation of companies' (BetrVG) has been definitively adopted, marking the...
18 July 2024
Germany: 11% of companies offer a four-day week
According to a survey carried out jointly by Randstad’s German subsidiary and the IfO Institute for Economic Research in Munich among a panel of 1,000 human resources managers, one German...
17 July 2024
Austria: a new law extends the legal framework surrounding teleworking
Austria’s Parliament has just passed a new law that makes the rules governing teleworking more flexible and more precise. Drawing on IT advances, teleworking can now be done from any location with...
4 July 2024
Germany: ground-breaking collective agreement and 6.85% salary increase for the chemical sector
On 27 June 2024 Germany’s chemical sector social partners: the IG BCE trade union and the BAVC employers’ body, signed a new collective agreement spanning 20 months until February...
4 July 2024
Germany: mixed interim results for the four-day week pilot project
Since February 2024, 45 German companies have been testing the four-day working week as part of a project launched by the consultancy firm Intraprenör, which has just published an interim...
3 July 2024
Germany: decline of codetermination continues, amid array of methods to circumvent practice (study)
The Institute for Codetermination and Corporate Governance (IMU), part of the Hans Böckler trade union foundation, has just published a study on the erosion of codetermination in Germany. In...
14 June 2024
Germany: measures outlined to foster work after retirement
Following the adoption of a reform designed to maintain pension levels at 48% of average wages beyond 2025, Hubertus Heil, Germany's minister for labour and social affairs, has outlined measures...
Germany: companies adjust to cannabis legalisation
Since 1 April, recreational cannabis has been legal for adults in Germany. In addition, limited production by associations will be possible from 1 July 2024. Although legal, cannabis still has...
10 June 2024
Germany: the headache of corporate initiatives against the far right
In the highly regulated world of Germany's social market economy, companies have generally avoided taking political positions externally and, even more so, internally. But the strong rise of the...
29 April 2024
Germany: new funding for retraining in the event of ‘structural change’
On 1 April 2024 significant provisions of the law to reinforce "the promotion of initial and ongoing training", adopted last year, came into force. The new retraining allowance covers employees...
2 April 2024
Germany: Deutsche Bahn proposes switch to 35-hour week with an ‘options-based’ model
After two months of failed collective bargaining and "surprise" strikes, the train drivers' union GDL and Deutsche Bahn have reached an innovative agreement on a 35-hour working week with no...
27 March 2024
Switzerland: debate around an ‘immigration tax’ on foreign workers intensifies
The idea of a tax on companies that take on foreign workers is gaining ground even in moderate liberal circles. The aim of its proponents is to limit economic immigration, which has been on the...
21 February 2024
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
EU: insurance sector social partners commit to addressing violence and harassment at work
The news. The trade union UNI Europa Finance and the employers’ federations Insurance Europe, Amice and Bipar signed an addendum to their 2022 joint declaration on diversity and inclusion on...
18 September 2026
Juliette Baudry (Boiron): “An intergenerational mechanism to better accommodate different life stages”
Since 1 September 2026, employees of the pharmaceutical group Boiron (1,700 employees in France) have benefited from a “key life moments account”. Resulting from an agreement signed last February...
18 September 2026
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
EU: Commission proposes a list of worker-related criteria for public procurement
The news. On 9 September, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation aimed at unifying European public procurement law, which accounts for 15% of European GDP. It is notably set...
17 September 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Italy: artificial Intelligence on the menu of Barilla’s new company agreement
Prior consultation with trade unions on innovations related to artificial intelligence, strengthened training, and progress on parenthood: these are the main new features of the agreement signed...
2 September 2026
2
Italy: Enel signs agreement to manage the effects of AI on work
An agreement signed at the end of July by the electricity company Enel (31,000 employees) and the unions Filctem-Cgil, Flaei-Cisl, and Uiltec is pioneering in the Italian energy sector. It aims to...
7 September 2026
3
France: final document on the work of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference
After six months of discussions between French social partners, the guarantors of the Labour, Employment and Pensions Conference submitted the conclusions of the discussions to the Prime Minister...
17 September 2026
4
Germany: a high-tension start to the social and political year
The German government must finalize its major reforms (pension funding, corporate competitiveness, and labor law) while the chancellor’s popularity hits an all-time low and three regional...
26 August 2026
5
Sweden: IF Metall union forced to end industrial dispute with Tesla
The news. After three years of conflict, the Swedish union IF Metall announced it would suspend its strike actions against Tesla starting Wednesday, August 19, after the American automaker...
26 August 2026
6
United Kingdom: trade unions can now use electronic and workplace voting
The news. The provisions of the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 authorising electronic and workplace voting for trade union ballots came into force on Tuesday, 25 August. They apply to trade union...
25 August 2026