Employment and skills development

At a time when labour shortages – linked to the pandemic as well as Brexit – threaten many UK companies, e-commerce giant Amazon is offering sign-up bonuses of up to £3,000...

22 October 2021

France: why Saur has scrapped probation periods for new hires

Saur, the French company specialising in water and waste treatment, was handed an annual prize for human resources innovation on 23 September, after it abolished probation periods for new hires...

1 October 2021

France: Just Eat platform to hire 4,500 staff on open-ended contracts

The food delivery platform Just Eat is to recruit at least 4,500 delivery staff in France by the end of this year, according to newspaper reports in the country. Just Eat confirms that it has...

1 February 2021

Germany: study reveals cost-effectiveness of apprenticeships through comparison with cost of a conventional hire

On 9 June, the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) published its third study since 2007. It is based on more than 4,000 interviews and details the average cost of dual...

15 June 2020

Germany: ‘internal crowd-working’ study and the implications for company structures

The Hans Böckler Trade Foundation (German Federation of Trade Unions - DGB) has presented its first study on the phenomenon of ‘internal crowd work’ and its implications for both work organization...

4 June 2020

United Kingdom: ‘soft skills’ reference framework launched for employers

Identifying and assessing the interpersonal skills of workers and other skills that are not specifically related to their qualifications is a recurring issue. To address this and showcase the...

25 May 2020

Canada: supermarket executives take to shop floor

Managers are rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty. That’s the message being sent out by several supermarket chains. Loblaw, Empire, Longo, and the Canadian subsidiary of...

9 April 2020

United States: warehouses and supermarkets hiring massively to cope with demand

During this Covid-19 pandemic, two business sectors are bucking a general downtrend with extremely strong growth, namely the supermarket and distribution sectors. With demand levels already high...

24 March 2020

Santander extends right to maternity and paternity leave to all staff across global operations

Santander is introducing a global minimum standard for parental leave in every market in which it operates, with mothers granted at least 14 weeks of paid leave and the father or secondary parent...

6 March 2020

Bosch to provide artificial intelligence training to 20,000 employees

During the Bosch Connected World 2020 conference, held between 19 and 20 February in Berlin, Germany’s leading automobile equipment manufacturer and its chief executive Volkmar Denner announced...

2 March 2020

Saint-Gobain introduces social protection program worldwide

On 13 February the French construction materials company launched its “CARE by Saint-Gobain” social protection program that will provide specific minimum cover for all the Group’s more than...

18 February 2020

Franco-German initiative for ‘in-house’ apprenticeships in industry, with greater focus on digital and language skills

The Franco-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CFACI) and the French branches of four large German chemicals groups (BAYER, BASF, Merck and Boehringer) have teamed up to create a joint...

6 February 2020

France: Novartis establishes 16-weeks of paid parental leave, starting 01 January 2020

Employees at the pharmaceutical company’s French subsidiary are set to receive an extra two weeks of paid parental leave above and beyond the standard minimum duration as required in the...

6 February 2020

France: 105 businesses commit to awarding a minimum of one month paid leave for second parents

An opinion piece published in the 05 February edition of the daily economics publication Les Echos (here) indicates that 105 companies (primarily in the tech, organic, and sustainable development...

5 February 2020

Hungary: Diageo introduces 26 weeks paternity leave

Fathers in Hungary can avail of five-days of paid statutory leave following the birth of a child. This leave can be taken whole or in several parts but must be used before the child is two months...

5 February 2020

Business practices: how high-tech firm Thales is upping the pace of educational innovation and the ‘marketing’ of solutions that better meet the needs of professions and employees

More than 18 months ago Jean-Roch Houllier, director of educational innovation at the Thales Learning Hub, established a structure geared towards helping his company’s training system meet new...

13 January 2020

1…9 101112 13…17

Our mind news

See all

France: La Poste to launch negotiations for an AI agreement

Following the lead of firms such as Axa, Syensqo globally, and more recently CDC Habitat, La Poste group management will open negotiations on an AI regulation agreement during the first half of...

5 March 2026

France: Crédit Agricole to tighten remote work rules

Crédit Agricole is to adopt stricter rules on remote work from mid-March onwards. The rules will be tightened for employees, but the maximum number of days working remotely will remain unchanged.

29 January 2026

France: Orange submits gender equality agreement – including AI provisions – for union approval

The three representative trade unions at Orange France have until 10 December to validate an agreement on gender equality, work–life balance and anti-discrimination measures. While the text...

8 December 2025

mind RH analysis – Initial findings from CSRD social indicators

In 2025, for the first time, the universal registration documents of major European companies contain the sustainability reporting required by the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive...

31 October 2025

Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR

What readers clicked on the most last month.

In the category

What readers clicked on the most last month.

France: Medef puts forward proposals to improve management quality

On 31 August, Medef, French main employers' organisation, published a practical guide to managerial skills, which it considers to be a driver of economic performance for businesses. Concerned by...

3 September 2026

AI: uneven integration but a global challenge for the world of work

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is profoundly transforming the world of work, and some occupations are now under threat. However, the full extent of its effects remains...

11 September 2026

Netherlands: towards a ban on housing cost deductions from migrant workers’ wages

The news. On September 10, Dutch Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Hans Vijlbrief (centre-left) sent a letter to the House of Representatives, stating that he intends to prohibit employers...

14 September 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

UE: Commission proposes measures to facilitate “fair” worker mobility across the Union

The info. On 15 September, the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at encouraging “fair” worker mobility within the EU. It wants to remove the administrative...

16 September 2026

Denmark: introduction of a professional ID card for construction site workers

The news. On 3 September, the Danish Parliament adopted a bill introducing a mandatory professional ID card for people working on large construction sites. The card will include, among other...

15 September 2026