FedEE Blog

Editorial: The new competitive HR environment

The departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union will have profound implications for not only the UK and the rest of Europe – but also all companies trading around the world. Multinational companies will need to rethink their

Editorial: Segregation of women in business life

The “education” of women from an early age in Saudi Arabia to place themselves apart from men other than husbands and close family members is now having to confront the reality that almost 60% of University graduates are women, but

Editorial: Communication across cultures

An article earlier this year in Atlantic Magazine underlines how, as humans, we are generally natty communicators. This is evident in the way that people naturally take turns when they communicate with each other and the gap between speakers is

Editorial: “Wait and see” or wait and sink?

Although many of us prepare regular plans there is a huge gap between planning and execution. It is like the fire drills that turn out not to be drills at all, but periodic tests of the alarm system. In the

Editorial: The rise and rise of the shorter work week

As the French government struggles against militant union opposition to remove its statutory 35-hour week, much of the rest of the developed world is moving headlong towards reduced work weeks.

In Europe lifestyle demands by employees have gone hand in

Editorial: If governments exceed their powers – should multinationals use theirs?

The great thing about countries that call themselves democracies is that their governments can claim justification for all kinds of behaviours that would not necessarily even come to the mind of the most vicious tyrant. As the late Richard Crossman

Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi

UK voters will go to the polls on June 23rd to decide if Britain will stay within the European Union (EU). With the country heavily divided and the vote swinging at present in favour of an EU exit –

Data Protection: Not with a bang, but a whimper

With the passing of the deadline for companies to stop relying on Safe Harbor rules, a successor mechanism – the ‘Privacy Shield’ (PS) has been hurriedly announced by the European Commission and the US Commerce Department. Unfortunately, details of the

Dark shadow falls over a once promising economy

At first glance it appears to be just another trade union merger. But look at developments in their broader context and recent initiatives by South Africa’s still powerful NUMSA Metalworkers’ Union take on greater significance.

NUMSA has announced that on

The cost of noise

Most people associate noise problems with living next to motorways or airports. It is a form of pollution, but often not taken as seriously as atmospheric pollution because it disappears immediately when its source is removed.
 
However, noise is a

Are HR Policies Contractual?

The one time when employees can be sure to consult their handbook is when things go wrong. It can be an uncomfortable time for HR practitioners when they are being held to account for conformity with policy statements and something

Advanced economies need 77 Million immigrants

The OECD is the principal organisation for advanced economies — such as most countries in Western Europe, the USA, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Its latest short-term population projections indicate how quickly such economies are going to be hit by

Editorial: Too many cooks….

There is an old English expression that ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ meaning that if there are too many people trying to manage the making of a simple outcome then quality and productivity will suffer. Unfortunately it appears that

Editorial: How significant are labour clauses in trade agreements?

Details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement between the US, Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim nations have yet to be revealed, but one certain element in it will be a commitment to follow the ILO 1998 Declaration on

When is a person not a person?

Editorial

A recent case before the UK’s Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) illustrates once again just how even very senior judicial professionals can get trapped by sloppy interpretations of legal terminology — drawing literal conclusions from limited figurative concepts.

Mr Justice