Executive Board Members In Germany Have A New Entitlement To Family Time: How Does It Work?

Mayer Brown's Employment & Benefits team in Germany has published a comprehensive briefing series examining the legal framework, practical tools, and compliance architecture underpinning internal investigations. Two of the authors outline key highlights for in-house legal teams, HR professionals, and senior management in organisations with a presence in Germany.

Germany's Pension Commission has proposed sweeping reforms that would fundamentally reshape retirement planning, workforce transitions, and employment structures. From dynamic retirement ages linked to life expectancy to the potential elimination of the senior part-time block model and minijobs, these recommendations carry profound implications for employers navigating restructuring, social plans, and pension commitments.

Germany's coalition government has proposed sweeping reforms to employment law that would fundamentally alter fixed-term contracts, dismissal protections, employee co-determination, and sick leave requirements. The package aims to strengthen Germany's competitive position amid technological change and demographic pressures, offering employers expanded flexibility while maintaining worker protections. These initiatives signal the most significant restructuring of German labor law in years, with implications

German works councils hold binding co-determination rights over monitoring systems, staff questionnaires, and personnel measures in internal investigations. This guide maps the statutory triggers under the Works Constitution Act, explains when system-level consent differs from case-level information duties, and shows how to balance speed and confidentiality with mandatory consultation—without automatically losing evidence in court.

Germany's coalition government has proposed sweeping reforms to employment law that could fundamentally reshape fixed-term contracts, dismissal protection, co-determination rights, and sick leave reporting. The measures aim to strengthen Germany's competitiveness amid technological change, demographic pressure, and international competition, offering employers significantly expanded flexibility while tightening certain compliance requirements.

German employers face complex legal constraints when screening employee data or conducting workplace searches. This briefing explains how to lawfully navigate GDPR, telecommunications secrecy, and works council requirements while maintaining defensible evidence for internal investigations.

The implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive is still pending in Germany. The transposition deadline expired on 7 June 2026. Although it remains unclear when a draft bill will be published...

Many employers are familiar with this scenario: Employees (often sales representatives) drive from their homes to customer appointments, and the question arises whether the employees are entitled to be paid for this travel time.

In July 2026, the German Federal Government adopted the National Action Plan to Promote Collective Bargaining (Action Plan) and submitted it to the Bundestag in September 2026.

German employers face complex data protection requirements when conducting internal investigations. This briefing examines the legal framework governing personal data processing under GDPR and German law, exploring when evidence remains admissible in court and how to balance employee rights against investigative needs.

Since 1 January 2023, employees who have worked for at least one year for the same employer are entitled to a minimum of 12 paid vacation days (in addition to the statutory paid holidays).

The Canadian province of British Columbia has introduced measures that prohibit employers from asking job applicants for pay history information.

The Minimum Wage Council under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) has set the 2026 minimum wage at KRW 10,320 per hour, a 2.9% increase from the current 2025 rate of KRW 10,030.

The European Union has introduced a groundbreaking directive aimed at transforming the gig economy by establishing new protections for platform workers.

On 21 March 2025, the New Federal Law for the Protection of Personal Data in Possession of Private Parties came into effect, superseding and repealing the prior data protection law.

As US state legislatures conclude their 2026 sessions, artificial intelligence regulation has transitioned from an emerging policy area to a mainstream compliance obligation. This comprehensive analysis examines the patchwork of enacted AI legislation across consumer transparency, healthcare, and employment sectors, revealing what businesses operating across state lines must prioritize in the second half of the year.

In Japan, standard working hours are limited to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week.

These shifts are increasing both transparency and risk, with closer monitoring of visitor activity, evolving 'permanent establishment' rules...

Japan's public pension system requires mandatory enrollment for all residents aged 20 to under 60, including foreign nationals, with contributions split equally between employers and employees. While supplementary corporate pension plans are voluntary, employers must navigate strict legal requirements when establishing or amending them. Understanding the interplay between statutory obligations, voluntary pension options, and the tax treatment of contributions and benefits is essential for compliant workforc

The International Court of Justice has issued a landmark advisory opinion confirming that the right to strike is protected under ILO Convention No. 87, a treaty Australia ratified in 1973. While this opinion doesn't immediately change Australian domestic law, it creates a significant new reference point that unions may leverage in litigation, enterprise bargaining, and industrial relations reform discussions. Australian employers face potential challenges to existing Fair Work Act restrictions on protected