Germany: four-day week niche and unpopular, German Economic Institute finds (study) Quality of life at work The iconic UK retailer chain’s Neonatal Paid Leave policy now means its 65,000 employees can take up to 12 weeks fully paid if their baby requires specialist neonatal care. In this way the group, which wants to avoid parents having to use up their parental leave allowance for such circumstances, has launched its policy ahead of similar plans by the UK government that has just adopted similar statutory leave.
Germany: Henkel, a pioneer of partner parental leave amid a national context that is stagnant Quality of life at work A few months ago, the Henkel group introduced a partner parental leave scheme that benefits employees in the 80 countries in which the company operates. Meanwhile the bill approved in 2023 on the same subject will remain in the drawers of Germany's Federal Ministry for Family Affairs due to political deadlocks and early elections.
A look back at 2024: remote work central to debate Quality of life at work Four years after the widespread introduction of remote work or telework for employees in the service sector, the practice was called into question in 2024, as companies moved to roll back the flexibility offered to employees. Many others, however, are maintaining their policy in the interests of attractiveness, economy, well-being at work and carbon footprint. Furthermore, the European Union has moved towards a directive offering employees protection in terms of health, reimbursement of costs and the right to disconnect.
Réglementaire United States: Senate report condemns working conditions in Amazon warehouses Quality of life at work After 18 months’ work, 135 interviews and 1,400 documents collected, a US Senate committee led by Bernie Sanders has published a report on working conditions in Amazon warehouses.…
Italy: ‘smart working’ on the rise at large companies Quality of life at work Hybrid working or 'smart working' as it is legally known in Italy, is becoming increasingly widespread at large companies in the country. The annual study by Milan's Politecnico University, published on 29 October, shows that 96% of companies now practise it. Smart working is popular with employees: more than a quarter of them say they would consider changing jobs if their employer were to row back on this organisational model.
Germany: four-day week experiment yields mixed results Quality of life at work On 18 October, the results of the study on the four-day week in Germany were presented by a team from the University of Münster. According to the data collected from the 41 companies involved, there was a clear reduction in stress as well as organisational gains. Critics however point to an "interesting study" but one that is "not representative of the German economy". Nevertheless, 73% of the companies in the study would like to continue the experiment.
Portugal: how companies successfully experimented with a four-day week Quality of life at work After a year of experimentation, a number of Portuguese companies have adopted the four-day week. They are seeing productivity levels maintained as well as an improvement in employee commitment and loyalty, and a reduction in the number of absences, thanks in particular to a better work-life balance. To achieve these results, companies have had to adapt their working methods.
Netherlands: guide published to combat sexual harassment and violence in the workplace Quality of life at work Mariëtte Hamera, the Dutch government’s commissioner responsible for gender-based harassment and sexual violence, has published a new guide to help companies “create a safe working environment”…
France: RATP seeks to improve attractiveness with QWL innovations Quality of life at work RATP, the urban transport operator employing 65,000 people, is experimenting with new measures, including the four-day week, new working rhythms and the deployment of exoskeletons in maintenance workshops. Formalised in an agreement on quality of life at work signed on 21 February, the aim of this push is to improve working conditions, meet employees' aspirations in terms of work-life balance and improve its employer brand.
United Kingdom: occupational health taskforce launched Quality of life at work On 21 February, the UK government unveiled the Occupational Health Taskforce, which is being launched to reduce occupational illness,…
