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European Edition
1st August 2024
 
THE HOT STORY
Dutch companies are failing to protect workers from hazardous substances
The Labour Inspectorate in the Netherlands has found that around 100,000 Dutch companies are failing to adequately protect their over 1 million employees from hazardous substances. Occupational diseases caused by exposure to these substances, such as lung cancer and COPD, can be reduced with simple measures like setting up separate rooms for eating and changing clothes, covering toxic substances, and cleaning with a vacuum cleaner. However, employers are not implementing these measures, leading to a high number of deaths from occupational diseases each year. Inspectors have visited over 1,000 companies and found that between 55% and 87% of them do not sufficiently protect their workers. Chemical wholesalers, manufacturers of adhesives, resins, and sealants, and tanker cleaning companies were among the worst offenders. The Dutch Association for Occupational and Company Diseases (NVAB) has highlighted the lack of penalties for employers who fail to assess health risks caused by hazardous substances, resulting in many companies ignoring the risks. Companies are also failing to detect health risks early through preventive health checks for employees. Occupational diseases often only appear after 15 or 20 years, but companies tend to focus on short-term costs rather than long-term health risks.
WORKFORCE
Germany urgently seeks to increase female workforce amid ageing population
With a rapidly ageing population, Germany is facing a shrinking labour force and is urgently looking for ways to increase workforce participation. While the government has announced measures to encourage overtime, later retirement, and investment in childcare, experts argue that these steps are not enough to address the deep-rooted obstacles that keep many women at home. Germany's labour force is shrinking by 400,000 workers annually, posing a long-term threat to the economy. The country has a high labour market participation rate, but many women work part-time, resulting in lower average hours per worker. Factors such as tax benefits for married couples, "mini-jobs" with low wages, and a lack of childcare contribute to the underutilisation of women in Germany's labour market. The new measures could however unintentionally create further barriers for women, and social and cultural norms also play a role in women's employment choices.
Lapland retailers turn to Filipino workforce as population ages
Lapland retailers in Finland are facing a shortage of workers. The older population and a lack of interest in retail jobs among local younger people are contributing to the ongoing labour shortage. To address this issue, employment agency Barona has brought in Filipino workers to help fill the gaps. The Filipino employees have been praised for their hard work, willingness to learn, and positive attitude. However, there are said to be challenges in terms of the weekly maximum hour limit and the explanation of Finnish labour laws. Retailers such as Arina are looking for ways to attract more local workers, but in the meantime, the Filipino workers have been a valuable addition to the workforce. Barona ensures the smooth integration of the workers by providing language courses and assistance with wages and taxation. Overall, the project is seen to have been successful, with over 90% of the Filipino workers staying in Finland.
HEALTH & WELLBEING
Cost of staff sickness in UK grew to £103bn in 2023
The hidden cost of rising workplace sickness in the UK has increased to over £100bn a year, and there has been a significant loss of productivity due to presenteeism, according to a report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). The cost of staff sickness grew to £103bn (€121bn) in 2023. The annual bill was £73bn in 2018. Most of the increase (£25bn) was attributed to lower productivity. Employees now lose an average of 44 days of productivity due to working through sickness, up from 35 days in 2018. The report highlights the negative impact of presenteeism on productivity and calls for a change in approach to protect workers and boost profits. Dr Jamie O'Halloran, a senior research fellow at the IPPR, said: "Too often, UK workers are being pressured to work through sickness when that's not appropriate - harming their wellbeing and reducing productivity." He added: "This can be because of a bad workplace culture, poor management, financial insecurity, or just weak understanding of long-term conditions among UK employers."
CYBERSECURITY
Microsoft says cyber attack triggered latest outage
Microsoft has revealed that the service outage on Tuesday was caused by a cyber attack. The tech giant stated that the initial problems on its Azure cloud platform were triggered by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. Microsoft confirmed that an error in the rollout of its own defences amplified the impact of the attack. The company resolved the issue by making network configuration changes. The incident affected various Microsoft services, including Microsoft Teams and Xbox Live.
REMUNERATION
Bumper pay rises for in-house lawyers
A report on counsel compensation from legal recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa shows that since 2021, general counsel and chief legal officers have seen a 4% decrease in "total actual cash" compensation globally. However, the most junior members of in-house teams have enjoyed a 19% rise. The report says: "Corporate leaders face challenges in keeping up with pay rises and bonuses competitors offer, particularly in the current climate. The problem can be acute when the legal team is comprised of lawyers who have been with an enterprise for many years." It adds: "Salaries in those cases tend to slip below market and can create risk to the business by leaving the company vulnerable to decreased morale and productivity, unwanted employee turnover, and loss of intellectual capital."
CORPORATE
Casino reports drop in H1 core earnings
Casino has reported a 24% drop in first-half adjusted Ebitda, making €255m in the six months to the end of June. Net sales fell 3.5% to €4.2bn. The company reduced its net debt to €1bn, compared with €1.6bn at the end of March 2024, and €6.2bn at the end of 2023. "To improve our economic performance, we have begun streamlining our store network: closing unprofitable stores, converting integrated sites to franchises, carefully selecting our new franchise partners and opening new stores with high potential", recently-appointed chief executive Philippe Palazzi said in a statement.
INTERNATIONAL
Wells Fargo to face lawsuit over sham job interviews
Wells Fargo has been ordered to face a lawsuit which claims the San Francisco-based bank defrauded investors by proclaiming a commitment to hiring diversity at a time when it was conducting fake job interviews of non-white and female applicants that it had no plans to hire. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson in San Francisco, who dismissed a version of the lawsuit in August last year, on Monday found direct and indirect evidence that the bank intended to defraud shareholders about its hiring practices. Thompson rejected arguments that there was insufficient proof that the sham interviews were widespread, or that top officials including Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf knew about the practice. Shareholders who challenged several bank statements about the alleged success of its diversity policy  cited interviews with former employees, an internal whistleblower email, and the sudden retirement of a senior wealth manager who it is claimed pressured the whistleblower into conducting sham interviews. "The employee-submitted complaints, the peculiar timing of [the manager's] departure, and defendants' demonstrated focus on diversity issues supports a strong inference of [fraudulent intent] that is cogent and at least as compelling as an opposing inference that defendants remained oblivious," Thompson wrote.
Super Retail Group sued by former chief legal officer over alleged dismissal
The former chief legal officer of Super Retail Group has filed proceedings in the Federal Court against the Australian retailer, its chief executive and chairman to enforce a settlement agreement relating to her dismissal. Rebecca Farrell has stated that she was bullied, harassed, victimised and ultimately sacked when she raised “serious corporate governance breaches.” She has also alleged that Super Retail chief executive Anthony Heraghty failed to disclose a secret relationship with head of HR Jane Kelly. “The group does not accept the claims that are set out in the statement of claim. As previously announced, Super Retail Group will defend these court proceedings in relation to these matters,” the retailer said in response.
Thailand to slash personal income tax to attract overseas professionals
Thailand will reduce the personal income tax rate by 50% for overseas professionals willing to return home and work in industries such as electronics, automobiles, robotics, and aviation. Qualified Thais returning home will pay a personal income tax of only 17% for five years, compared to the maximum 35% rate for residents earning over five million baht annually. The government expects at least 500 professionals to take up the offer, potentially resulting in a tax revenue loss of about 120 million baht over five years. “We want to bring them back to help develop [the] Thai economy and select industries,” Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul told reporters. “The move will also help generate more tax revenue we haven't got before” with the development of key industries, he said.
 


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