Insights

In collaboration with the IBJThe Belgian law of 18 May 2024 regulating private investigations marks a significant shift in the legal landscape for employers conducting internal investigations. This comprehensive reform replaces outdated legislation and introduces stricter compliance requirements, notably impacting data privacy and HR practices. Understanding these legal requirements is essential to avoid potential pitfalls and ensure that investigations are carried out in a lawful and efficient manner. 

In Collaboration with the IBJDuring this webinar we will dive into the European Directive on pay transparency that entered into force in June 2024 and has to be transposed for June 2026 in all EU Member States. This European Directive has the ambition to strengthen the application of the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value between men and women, for all employees in all sectors. The Directive brings significant new reporting obligations and assessment obligations on employers that the EU Member States will publish. How will you have to calculate the threshold to know if your company as an employer falls under the scope of the Directive? And what happens when there is a gap in the equal pay? What will you have to do as an employer? What kind of enforcement does the Directive foresee? Lastly, did you know that in the US there is an Equal Pay Act that has been in force since 1963? How has that statute been applied in the US and what are the differences and similarities with the European Directive? Our special US guest will teach us some interesting US-insights.  

In collaboration with the IBJ

There have been many recent changes in Belgian labor and employment law - changes that are likely to significantly impact your daily HR practice. 

In Collaboration with the IBJ Reserving a vacancy for male candidates only, or refusing to promote a pregnant woman? Of course, your company would never do such a thing - that is discrimination! But what about only advertising a vacancy internally in your company, so that employees can look for new colleagues from within their own networks? Well-intentioned, but perhaps also a form of discrimination?

Our current circumstances have resulted in many Belgian companies needing to restructure – whether it be a matter of a small headcount reduction or a collective layoff and closure of an undertaking. And, if we can believe recent press articles and surveys, it would seem that this state of affairs is likely to continue until at least the end of the year.

The new EU Whistleblower Directive, which is intended to provide whistleblowers with greater protection, sets out a legal framework of minimum standards that have to be transposed by the EU member states into national legislation by December 17, 2021. In principle, this same deadline applies to the obligation on companies (with a minimum of 50 employees) to establish internal reporting channels and procedures in accordance with the EU Whistleblower Directive and the relevant national law.

The Covid-19 crisis will have a considerable impact on the future of companies and how they organize their workforce. 

As companies enter the post-COVID era, certain disagreements created by the crisis have not yet been resolved and new disputes linked to this unprecedented period are seeing the light of day.