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In spite of a strong emphasis on gender equality over the last 50 years the status and treatment of women in society remains highly problematic in many countries …

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It is often claimed that the introduction of minimum wages and any increases beyond the general level of consumer price inflation can have a significant detrimental effect on jobs and contribute to the inflation of higher wage and salary rates …

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It sounds rather obscure and only the concern of finance departments, but the OECD’s Multilateral Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) convention has significant relevance for HR professionals …

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One of the most important concerns for HR professionals is employee absence, yet employers are generally prevented by the law from knowing the medical conditions their employees suffer …

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According to a study published last month by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants the shadow (or grey) economy accounts for 67% of GDP in Azerbaijan, 48% in Nigeria, 46% in Ukraine and 39% in Russia …

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Full-time workers holding a second job can present a major problem for their primary employer …

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Statistics on world grain production are probably the least expected data for an HR newswire, yet they are highly relevant for the multinational employer …

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According to a recently report from the international Labour Organization (ILO) the global labour force participation rate for women now stands at 49%, around 27% below the rate for men …

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It is normally clear in most jurisdictions whether details of past criminal convictions can be obtained and the extent to which they can be used in making hiring decisions …

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The search engine Google is teaming up with a number of online recruitment sites such as LinkedIn, Monster, CareerBuilder and Facebook to provide an integrated jobs portal …

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A recent article in the medical journal “the Lancet” provides the results from a 25-year study of healthcare access and quality around the world …

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The energy company Royal Dutch Shell has decided to introduce a worldwide minimum standard of 16 weeks paid maternity leave …

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The right of every individual to maintain their personal privacy and be free from any disadvantage due to their lawful actions or beliefs is a central principle of all democratic societies, yet – in practice – this is being undermined by often informal processes, many of which are related to business activities …

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It is often assumed that the law covers all areas of human activity and that, with a little research, it is possible to uncover a statute, regulation, court ruling – or at least a constitutional clause – that will lay the path to legitimate conduct …

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One place where privacy would seem to be sacrosanct is your own private car. But smoking bans in private vehicles are becoming more prevalent across the world. So far only Mauritius applies a general smoking ban to private vehicles. All other countries, such as Australia, Cyprus, France and Scotland apply them when the car contains children or young people. But a new wave of legislation is on its way in proposals currently before parliaments in Greece, Israel and Taiwan.

Much of the safety concerns about smoking in vehicles is the fact that lighting up is itself a distraction, a lit cigarette falling onto someone’s lap is likely to cause panic by a driver and discarded cigarettes can pose a fire risk. For employers the issue is important because employees frequently give lifts to work colleagues and also use private cars for driving to meetings with clients and suppliers. This poses a health risk to smokers and passengers and leads to unpleasant odors on clothes.

In the UK regulations exist concerning smoking in all company vehicles. The regulations differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but in England and Wales the rule is that a clear “No Smoking” sign of 75mm diameter must be prominently displayed. The only exempted vehicles are company cars only ever used by one person and private cars used occasionally for business purposes.  

Although there has not yet been any reported challenges by fellow employees there remains the possibility of complaints (and even litigation) concerning smoking in cars used for business purposes in any country where a workplace smoking ban exists. Moreover, at least three countries –  Finland (2030), New Zealand (2025) and Sweden (2025) have national targets to end all smoking. In most cases such bans apply equally to e-cigarettes, although one unintended consequence is the rising incidence of Marijuana and other drug consumption in countries with tight smoking bans.