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European Edition
29th April 2025
 
THE HOT STORY
Skilled worker shortage highlighted in Polish survey
According to a SAP Polska survey, 40% of managers in Poland highlight a shortage of skilled workers and inadequate knowledge transfer between generations as significant challenges. Despite this, 73% of managers overseeing IT budgets assess future skills within their organisations as good or very good. The report "Digitally Driven Business – or People Driven?" reveals that only 20% of firms actively promote knowledge transfer, with nearly 40% of respondents indicating resistance to training. Katarzyna Rusek, VP and HR Director at SAP Polska, stressed the urgent need for companies to encourage continuous learning, leverage technological advancements, and cultivate diverse teams. She said: "Future skills - technology use, innovation, critical thinking, and lifelong learning - are critical across all industries and company sizes."
CYBERSECURITY
Cyberattack disrupts Dutch municipalities
A large-scale cyberattack targeted over twenty Dutch municipalities on Monday, rendering their websites inaccessible for hours. The pro-Russian hacker group NoName claimed responsibility, saying that its actions were retaliation for the Netherlands' support of Ukraine. "We decided to visit the 'Russophobic' Netherlands to remind them how initiatives supporting the Kyiv regime end," it said. The attack, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assault, aimed to frustrate users rather than steal data. Sebastiaan Quekel from Noord-Holland confirmed that while the attack caused major disruption, no data was compromised.
WORKFORCE
French doctors launch strike action
Doctors in France have launched an unlimited strike action in protest over a proposed new law to regulate where GPs can set up their practices. Strikes and demonstrations are planned across the country this week, and the action is set to be supported by both GPs and hospital doctors. "We're ready to take on the fight, and the only way to do that is to block the system," Anna Boctor, president of the Jeunes Médecins union, told France Info. The proposed new law is part of a government effort to combat doctor shortages in rural areas. 
UK risks ‘lost generation’ of young workers, business warns
The UK risks creating a “lost generation” of workers unless ministers take immediate action to stop young people drifting away from the workplace, the British Chambers of Commerce has warned. Separately, the FT reports that the Generation Z cohort is leading the charge back to the office, while older generations are more reluctant to return to past patterns of presenteeism.
Microsoft 'will now pay some employees to leave'
Microsoft is giving low performers the option to accept a payout and leave the company rather than be placed on a performance improvement plan (PIP), according to Business Insider, which has obtained an internal email outlining the company’s new performance management system. Microsoft's chief people officer Amy Coleman described the new system as having “clear expectations and a timeline for improvement.” A separation agreement that would be the equivalent of 16 weeks' pay is reportedly being offered to those who want to forgo performance management.
STRATEGY
Booking.com looking to cut workforce by 10%
Booking.com has announced plans to reduce its workforce by over 10% as part of an ongoing reorganisation. The exact impact on Dutch workers is still uncertain. The company, which employs 9,600 people globally, has already seen job losses at the management level, with nearly 50 out of 350 managers in Amsterdam affected. If similar percentages apply to the wider employee base, around 900 staff members could face layoffs in the next phase.
REMOTE WORKING
UK parents working from home rely on screens as kids get home
Data from Virgin Media O2, backed by a survey of UK parents, has identified a spike in broadband traffic between 3:40pm and 5:00pm every weekday as children whose parents work from home return from school. Significant numbers of parents, Virgin said, appear to be relying on screen-based activities such as video games and streaming video to keep children occupied until they finish work. The survey found that 46% of parents have to keep working after picking their children up from school.
RISK
Authorities work to establish cause of mass power outages
Investigators are racing to determine the cause of widespread power outages affecting Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has suggested that a technical or cable fault may be responsible. However, speculation about a potential cyber attack persists, with Juan Manuel Moreno, president of the regional government of Andalucia, saying: "Everything points to a blackout of this magnitude only being due to a cyber attack." Portugal's Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, however, said there is "no indication" of a cyber attack. A European trade body told the BBC's The World Tonight there was a "technical issue" with an energy connection between France and Spain. Spain's power has now almost fully been restored and substations in Portugal are being brought back online after Monday's mass blackouts. 
INTERNATIONAL
China vows to support workers affected by tariffs
China's top policymakers have committed to supporting firms and workers impacted by US tariffs. A meeting of the Communist Party's Politburo highlighted the need to "stabilise employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations" amidst rising external shocks. To achieve this, the government plans to accelerate debt issuance, ease monetary policy, and enhance unemployment insurance for affected companies. Additionally, measures will be taken to strengthen financing support and promote domestic consumption. Despite a 5.4% growth in the first quarter, concerns about a potential downturn loom due to the tariffs, with Beijing urging Washington to remove them to facilitate negotiations.
Indian CEO's viral post ignites debate on productivity
Ravikumar Tummalacharla, chief executive of Cleanrooms Containments, has sparked a nationwide debate regarding the impact of numerous public and optional holidays on workplace productivity in India. He highlighted that in April 2025, over 10 holidays combined with weekends led to a significant stalling of  productivity, which particularly affected Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Tummalacharla urged the government to reconsider the holiday calendar, saying: “China is 60 years ahead because they prioritise economic momentum.” While acknowledging the cultural importance of holidays, he emphasised the need for a balance to enhance global competitiveness.
Adidas sued by former employee in fresh racism row
German sportswear group Adidas is being sued by former US employee April Burton, who claims she was unlawfully fired after complaining about racist and sexist comments made by senior directors.
Korean firm tells workers to shower at least once a day as summer nears
An unidentified South Korean company has posted an internal memo urging workers to shower at least once a day as summer approaches and amid growing concern about personal hygiene in shared office spaces. A social media user uploaded a screenshot of the notice and the post quickly went viral. “Don’t assume you don’t smell – your co-workers just aren’t telling you,” the company's administrative support team wrote in the memo, according to the post.
 


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