Germany: SAP pilots ‘Focus Friday’, to encourage a meeting-free end to the week
Following a number of trials, the German and European leading multinational software corporation has decided to extend the "Focus Friday" principle of to all its German employees. Starting on 20...
United States: Goldman Sachs giving executives unlimited vacation time
In an internal memo dated 22 April, investment bank Goldman Sachs announced it was implementing a new ‘flexible vacation’ scheme for its partners and managing directors, who will be free to ‘take...
Great Britain: Tesco Supermarket tests flexible office rental in its retail spaces
Office space and desks just behind the hair care or the cereals aisles? This is a new idea that Tesco is testing in May in one of its London supermarkets as it partners with the office management...
Japan: adoption of four-day week progresses slowly
While some large companies in Japan have announced plans to transition to a four-day week, in accordance with the government's recommendations, this new model for work organisation is struggling...
United Kingdom: PwC extends summer working hours policy
From 1 June to 31 August this year, the 22,000 UK employees of auditing and consulting giant PwC will be able to finish their working week at lunchtime every Friday. The move announced on 4 May...
Airbnb will offer employees maximum flexibility in choosing their place of work
On 28 April, the private home subletting platform Airbnb informed its employees (global headcount of just 6,000 in 2021) of a revolutionary change to its work organisation that includes autonomy...
Ireland: paid fertility leave for Lidl employees
On 25 April, the Irish subsidiary of the German discount supermarket chain announced it was creating and offering paid leave for employees undergoing IVF fertility treatments or seeking to undergo...
Italy: Terna launches a new participatory model of social relations
The protocol agreement signed in March 2022 by Terna (Italy’s power Transmission System Operator), and the trade unions includes the establishment of a ‘consultation committee on the group's...
26 April 2022
Great Britain: Vodafone introduces its Carer’s Leave policy
On 08 April the UK telecommunications giant unveiled a new leave of absence that will allow its 10,000 UK employees to benefit from up to 18 weeks of leave to look after loved ones who are...
14 April 2022
Austria: a four-day working week on the cards at discount retailer Lidl
In its 2021 business report, Lidl Österreich has announced its intention to offer a four-day week to some of its central services employees. The Austrian subsidiary of the German discount...
Italy: Nestlé introduces three-month paternity leave allowance
The Italian subsidiary of Swiss food and drink group Nestlé has reached an agreement with trade unions to set up "Nestlé Baby leave", a policy allowing fathers – or "second caregivers" – to take...
11 April 2022
Austria: investment platform Bitpanda offers staff unlimited holiday
In a bid to attract the best and brightest in its sector, Austria-based investment platform Bitpanda has decided to introduce unlimited holidays from 1 April 2022. This leave policy is in addition...
5 April 2022
Denmark: new rules for parental leave
On 03 March Denmark’s Parliament adopted a bill amending the Parental Leave Act and bringing it into line with the 2019 European Work-life Balance Directive, which must be implemented in the...
Italy: aerospace, defence and security group, Leonardo introduces hybrid work
In an agreement signed on 08 March by Leonardo management and the FIOM-Cgil, FIM-Cisl and UILM trade unions, more than half of the group’s workers (between 17,000 and 19,000 of the 30,000 staff in...
10 March 2022
Italy: DHL Express experiments with smart working
A national framework agreement signed on 23 February by DHL Express Italy and the Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl and Uiltrasporti trade unions, sets out a smart working trial period that will start...
France: Orange offers employees in mid-career a break to gain new experience
The French telecoms operator is experimenting with a new scheme allowing employees who have spent 10 years working with the group, and if they so wish, to take a break from their jobs to pursue...
1 March 2022
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
Spain: government seeks to strengthen protection for employee whistleblowers
On 28 July, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft bill aimed at providing legal protection to employees who report corruption or breaches of labour law, shielding them from potential...
27 August 2026
2
France: Cabinet adopts pay transparency bill
After several months of delay beyond the European deadline of 7 June 2026, French Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou finally presented the bill transposing the Pay Transparency Directive to the...
10 September 2026
3
Netherlands: Uber fined over 800 million euros for automated algorithmic decisions
The news. In a decision dated 17 August, the Dutch Data Protection Authority fined ride-hailing company Uber €825 million for automating decisions regarding driver account deactivations. The...
4
Italy: Crédit Agricole introduces a handbook on managerial behaviour
The document adopted in mid-July by Crédit Agricole Italia and the main banking trade unions goes beyond the proper use of meetings and emails. This six-point handbook aims to foster constructive...
3 September 2026
5
Spain: government revisits its draft decree on salary transparency
The Spanish Ministry of Labour has opened a consultation on the transposition of the European directive on salary transparency and the reduction of the gender pay gap. This decision follows a...
8 September 2026
6
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”...