Multinational Employers

With special thanks to our presenters Matías Herrero (Argentina), Leticia Ribeiro (Trench Rossi Watanabe, Sao Paulo*), Andrew Shaw (Canada), Maria Cecilia Reyes (Colombia) and Liliana Hernandez-Salgado (Mexico).

In this session, US-based multinational employers with business operations in the Americas region hear directly from Benjamin Ho and local practitioners on the major developments they need to

With special thanks to presenters Elif Nur Çakır Vurgun (Türkiye), Johan Botes (South Africa), Joanna Matthews-Taylor (United Arab Emirates), Christiana O’Connell-Schizas (Saudi Arabia) and Ghada El Ehwany (Egypt).

In this session, US-based multinational employers with business operations in the Middle East and Africa region hear directly from Elizabeth Ebersole and local practitioners on the major

With special thanks to Nadege Dallais (France), Emma Glazener (Netherlands), Fermin Guardiola (Spain), Stephen Ratcliffe (United Kingdom), Bernhard Trappehl (Germany) and Lucille Vallet (France).

Last week a group of our favorite European colleagues joined us in the Bay Area for a few special client visits. Even if you weren’t in the room, we’ll share a few key headlines here. (And, here’s link to listen in to our recent webinar: Global Employment Law Fastpass — Spotlight on Europe!)

From practical tips on the best ways to implement employee redundancies to the expected impact of the recently-passed EU Directive on Pay Transparency, here’s five things to know:

1. The EU Whistleblowing Directive (WBD) Requires Private Employers with 50 or More Workers to Establish a Local, Entity Level Reporting Hotline

The WBD was supposed to be implemented by the EU’s 27 member states by December 2021, but we are still waiting for around 8 EU member states to do so. For example, France, Belgium and Austria have transposed the WBD, Germany has not but is close. Spanish companies with at least 250 employees have until June 13, 2023 to comply. (For more, read our alert here.)

While legislation is still awaited in a number of jurisdictions, we are now in a much better position to see the challenges the WBD poses for global employers. . . and there are several.

  • It can be tricky to implement the new requirement for a local channel alongside a centralized group level reporting system (e.g., through a global “hotline”). Under the WBD, employers are not prevented from maintaining and encouraging the use of their central reporting hotline; however, now, entities with more than 50 workers, must establish a local, entity level, channel. This means employers who meet the threshold will need to establish local entity level reporting systems alongside existing global channels.
  • The second key challenge is where companies have multiple entities in one jurisdiction, whether one internal reporting channel can be established at a country level or whether the channel must be established in each entity. The implementing legislation in some countries is unclear on this point but, where the requirement is for entity level channels, this raises challenges for companies which have multiple entities within a jurisdiction but only one HR or Legal function which operates across multiple entities.

Fortunately, we have a multijurisdictional analysis matrix covering five key areas of WBD compliance at a local level available at a fixed fee per jurisdiction so that companies operating in the EU can wrap their arms around this new requirement. The matrix answers questions about the Directive’s scope and implementation requirements for internal procedures, protection of whistleblowers and data privacy issues. Our experienced team of lawyers can then assist with implementing the changes, as well as with training, communications and more.

2. The EU Pay Transparency Directive is Coming and as the Kids Say, It’s Extra

Last month the European Parliament formally adopted the Pay Transparency Directive and its provisions are likely to enter into force in most EU member states in 2026. It’s sort of a big deal, requiring significant attention and touching on many aspects of the employment lifecycle (read our detailed alert here).

A preview: there are pre-employment pay transparency requirements, and broad worker and representative rights to workforce pay information. The impact may be more muted in countries like France where works councils already have access to pay data, though the access will become much more granular under the Directive.

Continue Reading A Hop, Skip and a Jump Around Europe | Insights for US Employers Operating Abroad

With special thanks to presenters Michael Michalandos (Australia), Jonathan Isaacs (China), Kenneth Chua (Philippines) and Celeste Ang (Singapore).

Our four-part Global Employment Law Fastpass for US Multinationals 2023 Webinar Series features US moderators welcoming Baker McKenzie colleagues from around the globe as they share the latest labor and employment law updates and trends.

In this

Special thanks to co-presenter, Marredia Crawford.

It’s common practice for companies to collect diversity data and use it to assist in analyzing the concrete benefits of current inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) efforts in the workplace, and for recalibrating ID&E goals. However, collecting and managing diversity data can be fraught with risk.

In this 

Special thanks to Jose (Pepe) Larroque, Carlos Martin Del Campo and Javiera Medina-Reza.

The Mexico Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) has announced that it will carry out an estimated 42,000 inspections in 2023. The inspections carry the possibility of significant fines and penalties issued per violation, per employee. It is imperative for

Special thanks to panelist Nicholas Murray, of Twilio.

Join us for our webinar, “Measure What You Treasure,co-hosted by the ACC Foundation.

The first step in any organization’s strategic approach to advancing inclusion, diversity and equity is ensuring that accurate data exists. But diversity data collection can be challenging. 

We identified and mapped out our most relevant blog posts, articles and video chats to serve as a quick and handy roadmap to recovery and renewal for your company.

Our 2022 Employment & Compensation Resource Navigator provides US multinational companies organized links to Baker McKenzie’s most helpful, relevant thought leadership in one brief document. Arranged

We are pleased to share a recent World Economic Forum article, “Work can be better post-COVID-19. Here’s what employers need to know,” authored by Stephen Ratcliffe and Julia Wilson that discusses the following:

  • The return to the workplace
  • Hybrid working as the new norm
  • Fostering inclusion, diversity and equity (IDE)

Click here to continue reading

On August 5th, Legal500 and Baker McKenzie held an employment law roundtable discussing best practices for LATAM employers navigating the new normal. Tatiana Garcés (Colombia), Javiera Medina (Mexico) and Leticia Ribeiro (Trench Rossi Watanabe in Brazil) were joined by general counsels Gabriela Rodríguez (Stryker) and Catalina Robledo (Nissan).

Together, the panel shared insights around remote