Author: News Room

The topic of pay transparency is of concern to HR professionals – even if the federal government has not yet presented a new pay transparency law (EntgTranspG) to implement the EU directive. The existing law already provides for rights to information and the media attention on the issue of equal pay is leading to questions from the workforce.But: When do employees have a right to information? What does such a claim entail – and how should HR react if the employee’s request is not justified? We present employment lawyers with fictitious, tricky scenarios that many HR departments have to deal…

The three fires that are developing in the Community of Madrid remain neither perimeter nor controlled despite the fact that the night work that the firefighters have been carrying out “has been effective”, as reported this Friday by the Emergency Service 112 Community of Madrid. In fact, they have explained that the weather conditions, mainly the wind, will complicate the extinction efforts throughout the day. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has tonight declared an emergency of national interest in the territory of the Community of Madrid and in the province of Ávila as a consequence of the evolution…

The global 10 percent tariffs have just expired – so Trump is stepping up: The US government wants additional tariffs on imports from around 60 countries. Washington cites inadequate measures against forced labor as a reason.

In a matter of a couple of hours, the Government of Spain has picked up the gauntlet thrown by Madrid. At around ten o’clock at night and in a decision with only one precedent, the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has requested via tweet the declaration of the operational situation three of the Civil Protection Plan against forest fires in Madrid (Infoma), that is, that La Moncloa take control of the situation and assume command of the emergency given the impossibility of the region to deal with the extinction of the three fires that devastate the territory at the same…

The current debate – for example at Siemens – about the dismantling of hierarchies and titles shows that the real change is taking place in the corporate culture. Harald Smolak, Head of People Management at Atreus, explains why leadership, HR and change management are crucial – and what eight measures companies should take to successfully reduce hierarchies. Executive Summary Dismantling hierarchies: Why corporate culture determines success The challenge: The dismantling of hierarchies and titles not only changes organizational structures, but also has a deep impact on corporate culture. Without clear orientation, transparent decision-making processes and a new understanding of leadership,…

Summertime is vacation time. Some employees receive a bonus from their employer in addition to their actual salary for their time off. It is not uncommon for job advertisements to offer holiday or Christmas bonuses. If this bonus has been paid for years and the employer suddenly wants to suspend payment, disputes often arise. Employers can keep the door to special payments open through voluntary and revocable retention. A new ruling by the Federal Labor Court (BAG, ruling of February 21, 2024, file number 10 AZR 345/22) shows that these are not always watertight clauses. “The fact that an employer…

The fire declared this Thursday in Ávila is advancing uncontrollably and has forced the municipalities of Burgohondo, El Tiemblo and Navaluenga to be confined. The rest of the fires in Castilla y León are evolving favorably. The work of the extinction operation has allowed the severity of the Rábano de Aliste (Zamora) and Retortillo (Soria) fires to be reduced, now without confinements or evacuations. The one in Castropodame (León) is evolving positively, but the towns of Turienzo Castañero and San Pedro Castañero continue to be evacuated. In Madrid, the president of the Community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, has warned that the…

The Government and the leadership of the PSOE reiterate their support for José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero after the explanations that the former president has given on RTVE, where he has defended his innocence without providing any new information to what he had already declared in mid-June before Judge José Luis Calama of the National Court. Moncloa does not change the position it has maintained since the beginning of the case and asks for “respect” for Zapatero’s presumption of innocence and “his right to defend himself in the open procedure.”Continue reading

For many business owners, tax is something dealt with when a deadline appears on the calendar. The accounts are prepared. The figures are checked. The return is submitted. Then attention moves back to customers, staff and the daily demands of running a business. That approach is understandable, particularly for small businesses. But it can also create a problem. Tax affairs can become increasingly complicated without the business owner realising it. A company may grow. A director may start taking money from the business in different ways. A sole trader may add a second income stream. A landlord may begin running…

A business relationship can take months to build and only minutes to approve. A supplier presents a strong proposal. A potential partner offers attractive commercial terms. A service provider appears to understand the company’s needs. After a few meetings, the decision may seem obvious. Yet businesses that move too quickly can overlook a basic question: what is known about the company behind the proposal? This question is becoming increasingly important as businesses work with more suppliers, agencies and partners across borders. A company may be based in the United Kingdom, while its customers, investors or commercial partners are located elsewhere…