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The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive represents one of the biggest ever shifts in reporting requirements for organizations. (For most companies, the first reporting will be on the financial year which starts after January 1, 2025.)

It requires most large organizations to comply with mandatory, detailed sustainability reporting standards, including extensive employment related disclosures. We are already advising a number of organizations in their sustainability journey and employment-related implications of the CSRD and, if it is not something you are already looking it, it will likely be on your radar very soon.

tl;dr

The employment-related implications of the CSRD mean that organizations will have to provide detailed descriptions of workforce policies; provide information on how the company engages with workers and workers representatives; and provide specific metric and target data relating to diversity, wages, compensation, health and safety and incidents and complaints (e.g., harassment and discrimination complaints), amongst others. There are also further disclosures required relating to workers in the supply chain. What is clear is that reporting will cover some potentially very sensitive topics, requiring sufficient preparation and careful consideration.Continue Reading The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive | Employment Law Implications

Equal pay is an increasingly high profile issue for employers with a noticeable rise in equal pay claims in the private sector in the UK. This was underscored recently in a high profile case estimated to result in around £30 million in backpay.

With the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive on the horizon…

Special thanks to co-authors, Brad Newman and Julia Wilson.

Amid recent hype around ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence (AI), many are eager to harness the technology’s increasingly sophisticated potential.

However, findings from Baker McKenzie’s 2022 North America AI survey indicate that business leaders may currently underappreciate AI-related risks to their organization. Only 4% of…

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 …

Many thanks to our colleagues in London, Yindi Gesinde, moderator, and Monica Kurnatowska, for co-presenting.

Moving the Dial on Inclusion & Diversity in Your Organization

Creating a diverse and inclusive workforce remains a business imperative for global employers. Despite stakeholder and social pressure to accelerate progress, many companies have been unable to move…

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), or workplace affinity groups, are not new, and in fact they have been around in workplaces since the 1970s when they evolved in response to racial tensions in the US. For years, ERGs mainly hosted networking events and weren’t typically remarkably impactful on the business, but served as a safe space and support network for members. ERGs have come a long way since then, expanding and deepening their influence and impact.

Now, ERGs are typically employee-led, voluntary forums that provide employees with support, and career development, mentorship and networking opportunities. They are often created around shared characteristics or personal traits like ERGs for women employees, members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, LGBTQ+ employees, veteran employees and more. In recent years, ERGs have expanded to include interest-based groups like working parents and caregivers, the environmentally conscious and mental health advocates. Further, business leaders increasingly recognizing the value ERGs can bring as key strategic partners. In fact, about 35% of companies have added or expanded their support for ERGs since the start of 2020, according to a 2021 study by McKinsey & Co. and LeanIn.org of 423 organizations employing 12 million people.

Why the shift?

This uptick in popularity of ERGs in the workplace is due in large part to the impact of COVID-19, which has amplified the prominence and importance of ERGs. After two years of pandemic-related isolation and a lot of social and political unrest, ERGs are playing an essential role in companies by fostering community, improving employee engagement and building company culture and brand. While it can be difficult to connect with employees feeling distanced by remote work, ERGs are an effective way to give employees a sense of belonging, shared purpose and support. For instance, during the pandemic, ERGs focused on women have shared tools for easing burdens for members suddenly facing new challenges of child-care demands while working from home. Likewise, they’ve given important feedback to help shape company policies and benefits.Continue Reading DEI Matters: How Employee Resource Groups Can be Your Company’s Strategic Ally

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) closed this most recent legislative season by signing dozens of new bills into law that affect California employers. Though some were emergency bills and took effect upon signing, the remainder take effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

The laws are wide-ranging, encompassing topics from pandemic-related measures, to the first board of…

We are excited to invite you to our virtual Annual California Employer Update on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, from 1:00 – 2:15 PM PT.

“Quick Hits: California’s Top 10 & What You Need To Know In 2021” is designed to ensure that in-house counsel are up to speed on what changed in 2020 and prepared…

In the midst of the global conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion, many companies are looking to collect data from employees — on a voluntary basis — about their demographic characteristics. Listen in to hear practical tips on how to collect and manage diversity data.

Please click below to watch the video chat:

Diversity, Equity…

Organizations will continue to be held accountable for diversity, equality and inclusion post-COVID-19 and in connection with the Black Lives Matter movement. The next few video chats in our series will help in-house counsel and HR executives who are working to build a strong corporate culture of professionalism and respect do so in a way…