For the past year, around the world and especially in Europe, HR professionals have been facing new challenges from trying to navigate The Great Registration to trying to introduce new techniques that will support employee well-being. Therefore it is important for HR leaders to stay up to date with laws that are being set by governments. The following blog will cover regulatory issues that HR personnel should monitor.
Statutory Sick Pay scheme (SSP)
Since 2021, the Irish government has tried to generate the Sick Pay Bill but it has only come recently this year into effect. This bill will start to require all employers to provide statutory sick pay to qualifying employees. Rate of payment for statutory sick leave of 70% of normal wages to be paid by your employer (up to a maximum of €110 per day). This new entitlement will come in on a phased basis. Therefore employees will initially be entitled to paid sick leave for three days, increasing to five days in 2023, seven days in 2024, and up to 10 days in 2025.
In order to qualify for Statutory Sick Pay in Ireland, employees must be working at the organization for a minimum of 13 weeks and must obtain a medical certificate declaring them unfit for work. SSP will be statutorily protected, just like Maternity/Paternity Leave.
Right to Work Remotely
Countries such as Portugal, Germany, the UK, France, and the Netherlands are all trying to change their laws regarding remote working, below is a description of the countries that have given or are considering giving the opportunity to work from home:
Ireland: The government is planning to make hybrid working available to all people next year. There are companies building remote work alliances to provide solutions and encourage remote work within the country.
France: Although remote work is not necessarily offered by default, employers in France need to support why they are saying no. There are still considerations whether the changes will be applied or not.
UK: They are considering legislating remote work as a default option by giving employees the right to request it
Portugal: The government’s publication ‘’Green Paper on the Future of Work’’ outlines remote and hybrid working measures to be offered automatically to employees. It was the first country in Europe to set a temporary legal regime to support virtual work.
Germany: It is the only European country to have formally built long-term laws regarding remote work. In January, it became mandatory for companies to provide staff work-from-home opportunities.
The Netherlands: The Dutch parliament approved legislation to establish work-from-home as a legal right, making the Netherlands one of the first countries to grant remote working flexibility by law. The legislation was approved by the lower house of the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands
Changes in Skillset
Since 2018, the European labor market has changed job requirements, as the total number of skills required for a single job is increasing by 6.3% annually. Furthermore, new skills are replacing old ones, studies show that 29% of the skills that were present in an average job posting in 2018 will be obsolete by 2022.
As seen above, HR legislation is constantly changing and thus needs to be constantly monitored. Adding value is not easy. One has to overcome challenges and find solutions. And if you are currently searching for the best hiring strategy, you should think of HR Outsourcing as a solution for your business.
About EuroDev
EuroDev was established in 1996 in the Netherlands with a single, defined purpose to help mid-sized North American companies expand their business in Europe. So far, we have partnered up with over 500 companies and helped them define and meet their European business goals. Services provided include Sales Outsourcing, HR Outsourcing, and Digital Marketing.
Disclaimer: While we strive to provide accurate and timely information, please note that HR policies and regulations can change frequently. It is recommended that you seek guidance from our HR consultants to ensure that the data presented here is current and accurate.
Sources: Gartner
