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France: at Kantar, the weekend starts on Friday at 3pm
Since July 2021, employees at the market research and consulting company Kantar Insights France have been able to stop work at 3pm every Friday. This measure, which was originally run on a trial...
26 January 2022
China: publication of the first five-year national plan for vocational skills training
Among the goals of the ‘special five-year plan for vocational skills training’ recently presented by the Chinese authorities, is the indication that State subsidised training courses...
26 January 2022
Ireland: employers can only decline remote working requests on business grounds
On 25 January, the Irish government unveiled draft legislation giving employees with at least six months’ employment history the opportunity to request permission for remote working from...
26 January 2022
Netherlands: Achmea to allocate every employee a one-time €2,500 ‘climate budget’
Dutch insurer Achmea is introducing a new innovative company collective labour agreement, which was approved on 14 January 2022 by the two of the three trade unions, namely FNV Finance and CNV...
- HR
- CSR
19 January 2022
Netherlands: Ikea launches a jobs inclusion programme for seventy refugees
The Swedish furniture chain plans to train 70 people with a refugee background in the Netherlands by way of a three-month paid work experience placement including a language learning course. At...
- HR
- CSR
18 January 2022
EU: paid annual leave must be taken into account when calculating the overtime work hours threshold (CJEU judgment)
In a judgment handed down on 13 January 2022, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that an employer could not exclude the “the hours corresponding to the period of paid annual...
18 January 2022
Austria: more flexible recruitment procedures for 66 professions with labour shortages
Updated every year, Austria’s list of professions classed as suffering from labour shortages and for which the Austrian national hiring preference does not apply has increased from 45 to 66...
18 January 2022
United Kingdom: employers required to supply personal protective equipment to “workers”
From 6 April, UK businesses will be required to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to “workers” who are exposed to health or safety risks in the workplace. It should be noted...
17 January 2022
Japan: Panasonic adopts “optional” four-day working week
An increasing number of companies in Japan are offering their staff the option of working a 32-hour week, in keeping with recommendations issued by the country’s government in June last year...
17 January 2022
United States: no vaccine mandate for large companies
The plans of US president Joe Biden’s administration to make vaccination against Covid-19 mandatory at companies with 100 employees or more have been dashed. In a ruling passed on 13...
14 January 2022
Italy: vaccination mandatory for over-50s under stricter workplace rules
Under the decree law issued by the Italian government on 7 January, which contains new measures to slow the surge in Covid-19 infections, those over the age of 50 are required to be vaccinated...
14 January 2022
Germany: the Minister of Labour wants to create a right to telework
As the resurgence of Covid-19 and its Omicron variant makes teleworking once again mandatory in Germany for all employees for whom this form of working is possible, Hubertus Heil, German Minister...
13 January 2022
United States: historic union presence at Starbucks
On 09 December 2021 workers at a Starbucks coffee shop in Buffalo, New York State voted to form a trade union. The vote occurred a few weeks after the Workers United labour union was established...
13 January 2022
Great Britain: companies reduce sick pay for unvaccinated employees who need to isolate
From 10 January, employees of the Wessex Water company who have not received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and who do not have any medical evidence justifying their status will only...
11 January 2022
EU: minimum wage set to be introduced in Cyprus this year
Of the six European Union member states yet to introduce a minimum wage, Cyprus appears set to be the first to do so, in what could be a first impact of the directive presented by the European...
10 January 2022
France: insurer Maif renews agreement on employment of disabled workers
The French mutual insurance group Maif has struck an agreement, valid for three years and signed by all trade unions at the company, that will foster the employment of disabled people. At present...
- HR
- CSR
10 January 2022
Our mind news
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
Candice Guillot, group director of employee experience and HR performance at Talan (7,000 employees), outlines for mind RH her vision and strategy for introducing artificial intelligence at the...
20 October 2025
On 17 July 2025, BPCE and its trade unions signed a second agreement on jobs and career management within the banking group. The text places generative artificial intelligence at the core of its...
15 October 2025
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
14 October 2025
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: decree-law adopted to increase workplace safety
On 28 October, the Italian cabinet adopted a decree-law on health and safety at work, aimed at preventing and reducing accidents. The text addresses both the powers and actions of supervisory...
4 November 2025
2
Spain: already well on the way to pay transparency?
Spain is preparing for the implementation of its national law transposing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, which will take effect on 7 June 2026. The legislation marks another step forward in...
5 November 2025
3
Romania: parents of children with disabilities granted up to eight days of remote work per month
On 9 October, the Romanian parliament adopted a bill aiming to bolster support for parents of children with disabilities up to the age of 18. The legislation, which came into force on 12 October...
4 November 2025
4
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
5
Netherlands: ING cites AI as it plans to cut around 950 jobs
Dutch bank ING has informed the employment agency UWV that it may cut around 950 jobs by 31 December 2026. In its notification on 20 October, the lender said the planned reductions stem partly...
30 October 2025
6
Italy: European pay transparency directive, a major step forward for businesses
Italy’s labour market continues to suffer from limited pay transparency and a persistent gender pay gap. The forthcoming implementation of the EU pay transparency directive — still awaiting...
14 October 2025