The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) are increasing their scrutiny and enforcement of ‘green claims’ to protect consumers from 'greenwashing'. What are green claims? Green claims (also known as ‘environmental claims’ or ‘eco-friendly claims’) are claims that a product, service, or business provides a benefit or is less harmful to the environment ...
More and more employers are introducing paid fertility leave and a fertility leave policy to their workforce. For employers considering doing something similar, we explain the requirements for fertility leave and points to ponder when preparing a policy. Are employers required to provide time off for fertility treatment? There is no statutory right to provide staff with time off (paid or otherwise) for fertility or related treatment ...
Following on from the recent announcements regarding the India Young Professionals Scheme (India Young Professionals Scheme visa (shoosmiths.co.uk), the Home Office released (rather unexpectedly) changes to the immigration rules from 9 March 2023 ...
In a decision that will significantly impact Ohio employers, the Tenth District Court of Appeals has ruled that workers’ compensation claimants are entitled to temporary total disability benefits even if terminated for cause. In State ex rel. Autozone Stores, Inc. v. Industrial Commission, 2023-Ohio-633, the Tenth District issued Ohio’s first appellate review of R.C. 4123.56(F), which went into effect in 2020. R.C. 4123 ...
In late December of 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (“the Act”). The Act contains a new privacy law called the Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act, known as the PUMP Act ...
Recent controversy arose after Gary Lineker criticised the Government’s immigration policy on Twitter causing the BBC to announce that he would step back from hosting Match of the Day until a clear position on his use of social media could be agreed. The decision saw presenters and pundits boycotting BBC football programmes in solidarity and in support of freedom of speech, plunging the BBC’s sport service into chaos ...
Namibia’s emerging green energy industry has the potential to create thousands of jobs and contribute billions to the country’s GDP. In November 2022, the Namibian Government released the Namibia Green Hydrogen and Derivatives Strategy Report (the “GH2 Strategy Report”) which drew significant attention from locals, who are anticipating the development of legislation for Namibia’s green hydrogen sector ...
The purpose of section 197 of South Africa’s Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) is to protect and maintain employment in circumstances where a transfer of business takes place. In terms of section 197 and section 197B(1)(b), a “transfer” means the transfer of a business by one employer (the old employer) to another employer (the new employer) as a going concern ...
The Regulation’s overall goal is to encourage Member States to carry out Strategic Mineral Projects involving minerals such as e.g. Copper, Titanium, Nickel – battery grade, Lithium – battery grade, and Rare Earth Elements for magnets. The aim for the EU’s extraction capacity is set to be at least 10 % of the Union’s consumption of strategic raw materials ...
On 19 March 2023, the Labour Protection Act (No. 8) B.E. 2566 (2023) was published in the Royal Gazette, effectively amending the Thai Labour Protection Act B.E 2541 of 1998 (“LPA”) by adding Section 23/1 to provide the requirements for work-from-home or remote working arrangement ...
Law and regulation in this area are developing at pace and it’s no longer just those businesses looking for ESG linked products which need to be analysing their Environmental, Social & Governance (‘ESG’) behaviours. This article considers what businesses may wish to be doing voluntarily, either as good practice or in preparation for a financing, in terms of developing their ESG practices ...
This article looks at what ESG means, what we really mean when we talk about ‘ESG lending’, and the types of ESG lending available. When people talk about ‘ESG Lending’ they’re often talking about sustainable lending - encompassing social loans, green loans and sustainability linked loans. Potentially available to all businesses, now is a great time to get familiar with these types of products, as well as the corresponding jargon ...
In an effort to support women to stay in or return to the workplace, the Labour Party have recently announced new plans aimed at supporting the wellbeing of women in the workplace, particularly surrounding menopause. According to The Fawcett Society, a membership charity which campaigns for women’s rights, a staggering eight in ten women receive no support from employers for the menopause, with one in ten women stating that they had left a job due to their menopausal symptoms ...
ALRUD experts have prepared this material for HR directors, compliance officers and heads of legal departments, detailing the obligatory and recommended actions that should be taken in the event of an occupational accident. The purpose of this step plan is to provide high-level guidance on how to protect the interests of affected employees, investigate occupational accidents and thus mitigate risks of administrative and criminal liability for the employer and its officers ...
On 1 September 2023, the legal framework for seed farming in Russia will take effect. At present, lawmakers are preparing highly controversial regulations, which essentially aim to limit foreign investments in the Russian seed farming sector. The central idea is to implement a set of rules that require Russian companies involved in the production of agricultural plant seed varieties and hybrids to localize their activities (“Localization Rules”) ...
Continuing with the HR Improve series for this year, this month we focus on effective performance management. Performance management is key to the success of individual employees and the organisations they work for. So why is it so hard to get it right? Performance management is a process between a manager and their direct reports to ensure the expected level of performance is achieved and maintained ...
Amidst the UK's labour shortage, there has been a rise in part-time working. Why is full-time employment falling out of favour and how can the Chancellor address this? It is well documented that the UK has a labour shortage. There is no agreed consensus on the cause of this shortage; with early retirement, post-pandemic economic inactivity and Brexit all floated as potential contributing factors ...
Whistleblowing or simply put, the act of drawing attention to or complaining about perceived wrongdoing, misconduct, unethical activity within one’s organisation has been a topic of great relevance in the last few years. While there is no federal law relating to whistleblowing in the UAE, there have been significant legal developments in this area. The Dubai Law No ...
When a union knocks on an employer's door, it can be a shock and awe experience for the unprepared employer. It is important for employers to understand their rights and obligations when dealing with unions to ensure that they make the right decisions for their business. And, like most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound or more of cure ...
When a union knocks on an employer's door, it can be a shock and awe experience for the unprepared employer. It is important for employers to understand their rights and obligations when dealing with unions to ensure that they make the right decisions for their business. And, like most things, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound or more of cure ...
In April statutory rates of pay and maximum awards in the Employment Tribunal increase. Given current inflation, the increases this year are higher compared to previous years. Employers must ensure they adequately budget for the rise in staffing costs. The key changes to rates and limits that employers need to be aware of are set out below ...
In the Apple TV+ show Severance, employees of Lumon Industries may agree to a "severance" program in which non-work memories are separated from work memories. Outside of work, these Lumon Industries employees cannot discuss what happened at work because they have no memory of it. While Severance’s technology is fictional, employers frequently seek a similar result when offering severance agreements to departing employees ...
