How can employers make their workplaces appeal to older workers?

With older workers leaving the workforce in worrying numbers, this article considers what an ‘over 50s friendly’ workplace might look like, in the UK and beyond. Increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates mean that the world’s population is ageing. This demographic challenge looks set to continue, and there are now more people aged 65 and older than there are aged under five. To succeed,…

Making mental health a priority in the workplace

In Spain, both employers and public authorities are taking initiatives to improve workers’ mental health. In general, in Spain people have a positive perception of their state of health, both physically and psychologically. In 2020, 75.51% of the population aged 15 and over rated their state of health positively, and this positive perception among Spaniards has remained virtually unchanged over the last 33 years (see here)….

New agreement on initiatives against sexual harassment in Denmark

The Danish government and social partners have entered into a tripartite agreement on sexual harassment to support and encourage a cultural change in this area. The Danish government and social partners have entered into a agreement on initiatives to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. Composed of 17 initiatives, the agreement will provide the necessary tools for employers to prevent and deal with sexual harassment…

‘Living with Covid’: what does it mean for UK workplaces?

Under the UK government’s new Living with Covid strategy, mandatory self-isolation has now ended in England and free testing will end on 1 April. What does this mean for employers? On 21 February 2022, the UK government published its plan for Living with Covid including the timetable for removing Covid measures in England. From 24 February, the legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test was replaced…

Corona Pass to access the workplace: new proposals in Netherlands

A new law under discussion in the Netherlands would introduce a more widespread obligation for employees to show a ‘Corona Access Pass’ to work on-site. The possibility of introducing the Corona Access Pass (CTB) in the workplace has been a serious news topic in the Netherlands and beyond lately. Currently, Dutch employers cannot require their employees to show their CTB before entering the workplace. This…

Get vaccinated or risk dismissal: Latvia’s new rules for on-site work

Tough new workplace access rules in Latvia mean employers can suspend and even dismiss on-site employees considered at risk of COVID-19 exposure if they are not vaccinated. From 15 December the vaccination obligation will be extended to all on-site employees. Autumn in many European countries began with new and more stringent restrictions as legislators across the continent tried their best to limit the spread of…

US employers get the green light to offer incentives for COVID-19 vaccinations: what are the rules?

New guidance from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission gives the go-ahead to employers to offer incentives to employees to get vaccinated and provide educational material to encourage vaccination, under certain conditions. The new guidance On 28 May 2021, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) updated its guidance relating to employers’ obligations and limitations in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the workplace. Most notably, the…

A guide to hair discrimination laws and their impact on employer grooming codes in the US

This review of legislation and case law on hair and hair styling in the workplace in the US looks at recent state and federal anti-discrimination initiatives and gives guidance to employers on how to adapt their dress code and grooming policies. Executive summary Many have said that the workplace tends to be society’s battlefield, where culture wars play out and emerging trends go up against long-established…

Robotics in the workplace - From a North American and European perspective

While automation in the workplace has been used for decades to improve speed, efficiency and cost effectiveness, until recently, automating work requiring judgment and perception was reserved for science fiction films. In the last five years, however, the wide availability of powerful computer chips, big data storage and processing, and inexpensive sensors, as well as the development of new algorithms, have led to improvements in…