Talking Work

The EU’s Pay Transparency Directive is a major shift in the way pay is handled across Europe and all companies with operations in the EU will have to comply with at least some aspects of what it says. Much of it is to do with the gender pay gap, but there are other rules too. We take a look, with the help of expert, Tom Heys.  If you'd like to get in touch with Tom Heys, you can find his conta...

In this episode we ask what Generation Z is looking for from work. As the newest generation in the workplace, Gen Z has the potential to change the system in myriad ways. What will they do? We ask James Davies from our UK law firm.   To learn more about this topic, explore our flagship publication Forces for Change: Workforce of the Future ⁠here⁠ and read our article New generations, new expectati...

In this episode, Deborah Ishihara chats to Ben Favaro from our UK law firm about all the issues surrounding managing a remote workforce, including how to ensure people continued to feel engaged whilst at the same time knowing how to disconnect at the end of the day. We also explore some of the main legal risks for businesses, such as tax and data privacy issues, amongst others.   To learn more abo...

To mark International Women’s Day on 8 March, we interview two very successful women to discuss the issues women face in the workplace. Both are great role models: Jessica Jacobi, partner from our German law firm and our guest, Bettina Schaller, Head of Public Affairs for The Adecco Group. Enjoy.    Discover our 'Equal Pay Day 2023' article ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here. ⁠⁠⁠ If you’d like to contact Jessica,...

The gradual ageing of the global population is a known phenomenon, but how this might impact the workplace is harder to say. We conducted a survey to find out how ageing workforces are changing employment across the world. James Davies, partner in our UK law firm, comes on the podcast to explain.     Discover our 'Ageing Workforce' report and series ⁠⁠⁠⁠ here. ⁠⁠ If you’d like to contact J...

Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico and Peru all have anti-outsourcing legislation. In this episode of Talking Work we talk to Juan Carlos Girao of Ius Laboris in Peru to find out why, if this is a good idea, and to ask how these rules work in practice.  If you’d like to contact Juan Carlos Girao, click ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠for his details. Our host, Deborah Ishihara, can be found ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ . Talking Work is a podc...

The pandemic provoked the governments of many countries to think seriously about the mental health of employees, particularly those working remotely – and the trend is continuing. In this episode, we talk to Stefano de Luca Tamajo from our Italian firm about a survey we have just completed on how disconnection rights are developing and what kind of rules are being put in place.   Discover our &#39...

In this episode, Stijn Broecke, a senior economist at the OECD who is leading their Future of Work initiative, talks about recent OECD findings on how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape the world of work, what employers and employees think about this, and the structural changes a rapid wave of AI-driven automation may bring. Against a backdrop of rising inequalities, he considers that...

In this episode, Professor Wolfgang Lutz founder of the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital and all-round expert on demographics, discusses with us the issue of low birthrate in various countries across the world and the possible impacts on the workplaces of the future.   Discover our "low birth rate" series page here.    Our host, Deborah Ishihara, can be found ⁠...

Anti-discrimination law is changing in Australia, with a new positive duty on employers to ensure sex discrimination and harassment are eliminated in their workplaces. Sarah Clarke, partner in our Australian law firm explains what employers need to do to comply.   If you’d like to contact Sarah Clarke, click ⁠ here⁠⁠ ⁠for her details. Our host, Deborah Ishihara, can be found ⁠here⁠ . Talking Work...

Inflation is on everyone’s minds these days and we’ve been thinking about how it impacts employees, particularly those on minimum wage. Emanuela Nespoli, partner in our Italian law firm and Alexander Ulrich, partner in our Germany law firm, have been discussing the issues. Discover our Inflation, Wages and the Risk of a Wage-Price Spiral in 2023 report here. If you’d like to contact Emanuela Nespo...

ESG has become a key focus for lots of organisations around the world, but those in the EU will now need to keep up with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which came into force in January this year. We asked two colleagues from EU countries (Italy and Ireland) to tell us all about it. Discover New sustainability reporting in the EU here. If you’d like to contact Joanna Mackey, clic...

With women in the EU paid only 84% of what men are paid, there is a lot of work for the EU to do on the gender pay gap. Will its recent Pay Transparency Directive do the job? In this episode, two of our lawyers discuss the issues. Have a listen Discover our Gender Pay Gap Map here. If you’d like to contact Rebecca Rule, click here for her details, to contact Gemma Taylor, click here for her detail...

What are the megatrends driving change to the workplace and what might their impact be? James Davies, partner in our UK law firm has been looking into these very questions and we chat to him about his insights in this episode. Discover more about the 8 drivers of change here . If you’d like to contact James Davies, click here for his details. Our host, Deborah Ishihara, can be found here . Talking...

Which countries have state mechanisms to index-link wages to inflation and if so, is that a good strategy? How likely is it to cause a wage-price spiral? We recently conducted a survey of 27 countries to find out and in this podcast, Deborah Ishihara interviews economist and staff writer at Ius Laboris, Susanna Gevorgyan, who explains all about it. Discover more about Inflation, wages and the risk...

So many employers across the world are dealing now with crises brought on by inflation, and energy and supply shortages. As we reel from one crisis to the next (pandemic, war, climate change, political instability) it really feels as if we are in ‘permacrisis’. At Ius Laboris, we have just completed a major international project looking at all the permutations of this for employers, including what...

We’ve just launched a tool to enable HR professionals to quickly check whether they have covered each area of compliance that they need to. It’s quick and easy to use and at the end you can download a report of the findings. Our lawyers explain more. Discover our healthchecker tool here. If you’d like to contact Hannah Price, click here for her details, to contact Markus Janko, click here for his...

If your company is thinking of setting up workspaces in the metaverse, what HR issues do you need to consider? We went into the metaverse the other day to record an episode of Talking Work about potential issues of discrimination based on avatar design. It’s our first foray into the challenges of working in virtual reality and we interviewed Tarun Tawakley, partner at our UK law firm, Lewis Silkin...

In this episode, we ask lawyers from France and the UK for an update on the law surrounding platform work. We look at recent case law and ask if there is any international consensus yet on how gig workers should be treated. We think about what steps platforms could take themselves to protect their workforce, even where this is not mandated by law and we also look at some new EU rules that will imp...

How can managers run meetings in a way that allows everyone’s voice to be heard? How can they create an environment in which people feel empowered to challenge others’ ideas, so as to get the best outcomes? We talk to a pensions lawyer intent on making boards of trustees as diverse and inclusive as possible about her ideas. Emily Rowley is a lawyer at our UK pensions firm, Sackers. Discover our D&...

We take a look in this episode at business in New Zealand and, in particular, businesses that are struggling to get back up and running smoothly after COVID. As with other places in the world, New Zealand’s travel and hospitality industries are at the sharp end of this and we talk to Scott Worthy from our New Zealand firm to find out what’s happening what businesses can do about it from an HR pers...

The EU’s work/life balance directive comes into operation in August and so, in this episode, we take a look at what it says. We also think about gender disparity at home more generally and how this impacts the workplace. Our guests today are Sara Baldus from Denmark and Katarzyna Dobkowska from Poland. Discover our Work/life Balance series page here . Read more about the Time Off Work chapter of o...

Every business is ultimately about its people and M&As, spin-offs and carve-outs are no exception. But what employment and personal data issues need to be considered when handling a corporate transaction of this kind and what are the potential pitfalls? We asked two specialist employment lawyers to answer our questions. Discover our M&A page here . Go to Global Guide Restructuring and Data...

In this episode, Catherine Leung, partner in our Hong Kong law firm, talks to us about how environmental, social and governance issues are being handled by employers in Hong Kong and the APAC region. We find out what kind of initiatives are being taken and discuss also the impact of the pandemic on the way workplaces now operate. Discover our ESG series page, here . If you’d like to contact Cather...

From one of the longest lockdowns in the world, to strong protections against dismissals and layoffs, we hear from Verónica Puerta Basaldúa from our Argentinian law firm Funes de Rioja about how the pandemic has played out there and what the situation is now. If you’d like to contact Verónica Puerta Basaldúa, click here for her details. Our host, Deborah Ishihara, can be found here . Talking Work...