Amazon recently launched a new term-time contract to boost employees' flexibility, offering parents, grandparents, and guardians of school-age children the choice to work term-time only. The contract guarantees employees’ time off during the summer, Easter and Christmas holidays to spend more time with their children.
Amazon also announced a new flexible part-time contract introduced following employee feedback.
In its 11th edition, the Report highlights how international cooperation to strengthen employment and social protection can help address the growing disparities between high- and low-income countries.
On 17 April 2023, UK Government published “Positive action in the workplace: guidance for employers,” explaining how employers can help people who share a particular protected characteristic to overcome specific barriers with positive actions without unfairly disadvantaging other groups as this could amount to an unlawful ‘positive discrimination.’
It covers all protected characteristics, including sex, sexual orientation, age, and ethnicity.
It is a part of the ongoing government’s inclusive strategy to support employers in creating opportunities for underrepresented groups within their workforce.
On 1 May 2023, the U.S. Department of Labour announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) to reduce or eliminate injuries and fatalities associated with falls while working at heights in all industries.
The NEP became effective immediately, and it applies to all industries.
It aims to achieve its goals through enforcement (including hazard-based inspection targeting and optional locally-generated programmed targeting in construction), outreach to employers, and compliance assistance.
On 20 April 2023, the global insurance Generali Group, together with the unions First-Cisl, Fisac-Cgil, Uilca, FNA, and SNFIA, signed an agreement on hybrid working to "unlock our people potential, boost the business strategy ambition and deliver benefits to all the stakeholder involved."
It is the renewal of the so-called 'Next Normal' agreement of 27 July 2021 - which expired on 31 March last and was extended until 30 April next year - combining the needs of a different way of working with those of a concrete reconciliation of life and work time.
The new agreement version pays special attention to inclusiveness, remodeling smart working for caregivers, and the right of disconnection.
On 28 April 2023, the ILO published a new report on the global implementation status of some key provisions in the fundamental Conventions No. 155 and 187.
The publication took place on the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023, celebrating the decision to include a safe and healthy work environment in the ILO Fundamental Principles and Rights framework.
It shows that, even if progress has been made, the health and safety of numerous workers worldwide are still at risk due to a lack of appropriate occupational safety and health (OSH) action in several crucial areas. It is essential to address the issue of the suffering caused for workers and their families, and the associated economic costs are colossal for enterprises and countries.
On 30 October 2022, the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China adopted the revised Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests.
Initially passed in 1992, the updated legislation came into force on 1 January 2023.
On 13 January 2023, Beijing Human Resources and Social Security Administration implemented the revised Law regulating the administrative punishments from human resources and social security departments in the new "Punishment Benchmark Table."
It has significantly increased the punishment for employers' gender discrimination compared to 2022.