News

France: “trust and empowerment” key to successfully implementing flexible work, says Jacqueline Haver Droeze, Accenture HR director (interview)
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 health crisis, consulting group Accenture has embarked on an overhaul of the way work is organised at its French business. In addition to broadening use of remote...
8 February 2022
Mexico: workers at General Motors plant in Silao choose independent union SINTTIA to represent them
The 6,498 employees of the General Motors site in Silao, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, were called on 1 and 2 February to vote for the union representatives that will take charge of...
4 February 2022
France: metallurgy sector social partners undertake to sign a new single national collective agreement
While to date the metallurgy sector has been operating under 78 separate collective agreements, on 07 February 2022 the employers' federation UIMM and three representative trade unions, CFDT, FO...
3 February 2022
Italy: UniCredit prepares for generational renewal and focuses on training
UniCredit is planning for 1,200 voluntary early retirements, that will be partly offset by 725 younger hires. An agreement signed on 27 January 2022 by Italy's second largest bank and the Fabi...
Germany: criticism surrounding the election of a works council at the Tesla-Gigafactory 4 in Grünheide
On 28 February 2022 employees at the Grünheide-based Gigafactory of the US car manufacturer Tesla, which is well-known for its aversion to unfettered employee representation will elect the...
1 February 2022
United Kingdom: Royal Mail, Unilever and Primark to cut hundreds of management roles
These three major UK employers have announced restructurings this month that will exclusively impact those in management roles. Planet Labor has taken a closer look at the drivers behind these...
31 January 2022
Ireland: Bank of Ireland turning to its ‘remote working hubs’ to make work even more flexible
On 25 January 2022, the Irish bank, which employs roughly 10,000 staff, announced it was opening five additional remote working hubs, bringing the total number of its hybrid offices to 11. Located...
27 January 2022
France: Amazon school program, providing internal training to enhance staff employability
In 2019 the Amazon School was launched specifically for employees of Amazon in France (14,500 across all it French sites), and attributes successful participants with warehouse packer diplomas...
France: “Telework is organised on a team basis,” Sophie Balmary, Director of Social Relations at Michelin (interview)
Signed on 02 December 2021 by all the group's representative trade unions, Michelin's new telework agreement, which centres on team accountability and team empowerment, promotes a number of...
25 January 2022
China: parental leave extended in all provinces
Most Chinese provinces adopted new local rules on family planning through the second half of last year, with significant extensions to parental leave and the introduction of childcare leave...
21 January 2022
Engie enters into a new Global Framework Agreement on Fundamental Rights and ENGIE’s Social Responsibility
On 20 January 2022 the French multinational utility company, which operates in 70 countries, signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with three global union federations IndustriALL, BWI, and...
20 January 2022
Great Britain: the 4-day working week soon to be tested in dozens of companies
Starting in June 2022, some UK employers will be offering staff the chance of a four-day working week while maintaining 100% pay. This is part of a six-month trial devised by the lobby group 4 Day...
20 January 2022
Germany: new ruling coalition proposes its ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ to combat skills shortage
In taking up a long-time trade union call, Germany’s new ‘Tricolour’ government has committed itself by way of the coalition contract to creating an ‘apprenticeship guarantee,’ whereby every young...
Italy: Michelin’s subsidiary innovates on agile work and the right to disconnect
‘Smart workers’ at Michelin Italy will be able to work remotely for up to 60% of their working time, and will benefit from a strictly organised right to disconnect. In addition, and on a one year...
19 January 2022
Great Britain: Google believes in the future of physical offices and invests in several buildings in London
At a time when the pandemic has raised questions over how the usefulness of office space, US tech giant Google has surprised many with its recent purchase of the renowned Central Saint Giles...
19 January 2022
Italy: 2022 budget law contains significant social measures
With a reform of unemployment insurance, measures to facilitate the management of business crises, a tightening of rules on internships for young people and employers who intend to relocate, as...
17 January 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
France: Yves Rocher convicted of breach of duty of vigilance for infringement of freedom of association
The specialised chamber of the Paris Judicial Court convicted Yves Rocher on 12 March for breaching its duty of vigilance. The group was sued by Turkish employees dismissed in 2018 by a subsidiary...
12 March 2026
2
2026 TRENDS – CSR: A strategic asset for European companies?
mind HR is looking ahead at the trends set to shape 2026. Sustainability policy remains in flux after a year of CSR rollbacks across Europe. Companies are calling for greater predictability and...
26 February 2026
3
EU: Council approves omnibus directive on sustainability
On 24 February, two months after the European Parliament, the Council of the EU adopted the omnibus package amending the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate...
24 February 2026
4
Germany: a corporate group supports local political engagement via its “Democracy Charter”
Large corporations in the Hesse region, surrounding Frankfurt, are defending local democracy by enabling employees to volunteer in local public life through an initiative dubbed the "Democracy...
11 March 2026
5
EU: Council adopts position on simplifying AI rules
The Council of the EU approved its position on 13 March regarding the “omnibus regulation” proposal, published last November by the Commission to simplify the AI Act. Confirming the...
20 March 2026
6
United States: Coca-Cola subsidiary sued by the administration over women-only event
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on 18 February that it is launching federal proceedings against Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast for “sex-based...
6 March 2026