Mexico introduces new teleworking obligations - Lockton Global Benefits
Mexico passed amendments to the federal labor law on teleworking. The reform entered into effect on 12 January 2021.| Lockton Global Benefits
Mexico passed amendments to the federal labor law on teleworking. The reform entered into effect on 12 January 2021.| Lockton Global Benefits
Navigating the complexities of multinational business| Lockton Global Benefits
Three bills introducing additional paid leave for parents whose babies require neonatal care, the expansion of redundancy protections, and carer’s leave received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023. While the carer’s leave and the expanded redundancy protection provisions entered into effect on 6 April 2024, the neonatal leave is expected to come into force in April 2025.| Lockton Global Benefits
Ius Laboris conducted a survey of EU and non-EU countries to understand how key jurisdictions grant rights and protections to caregivers in the workplace. In the landmark 2008 Coleman case, the European Court of Justice expanded EU anti-discrimination protections to include caregivers. Today, national legislation and case law (in the EU and elsewhere) grant varying protections to caregivers in the workplace.| Lockton Global Benefits
Law No. 4 of 2024 on Maternal and Child Welfare in the First 1,000 Days of Life Phase (the “Law”), which aims at reducing the country’s stunting rate by improving the welfare of mothers and their children, entered effect on 2 July 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
With the rise of technology, work from home has been a steadily growing trend for many years. Remote working has exploded since Spring 2020 with quarantines, workplace closures, and lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least for jobs and industries that do not always require workers to be on-site. This abrupt, worldwide shift to remote work has sparked new logistical and structural legal challenges that have warranted many countries to pass teleworking legislation, some of which are sum...| Lockton Global Benefits
The government of Saudi Arabia recently approved amendments to Saudi Labor Law which include expanding bereavement leave entitlements and increasing maternity leave, among others.| Lockton Global Benefits
In March 2019, Oman’s government introduced compulsory health insurance (known as the Unified Health Insurance Policy or “Dhamani”) for private sector employees and visitors. To finalize the implementation process of the mandate, Oman’s Financial Services Authority (FSA), formerly known as the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), has implemented a new electronic platform for the administration of health care insurance services.| Lockton Global Benefits
On 12 February 2024, the Australian Federal Parliament passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes No. 2) Bill 2023, which introduces, among other changes, a right for all employees to disconnect outside of working hours. The right to disconnect will enter into effect 6 months after the legislation receives royal assent (expected soon) for businesses with at least 15 employees and 18 months after royal assent for businesses with fewer than 15 employees.| Lockton Global Benefits
To reduce the tax complexity faced by individuals whose registered pension savings or life insurance benefits reached the Lifetime Allowance (LTA), the United Kingdom has eliminated the LTA and introduced two other allowances with more favorable tax treatment for those who exceed them. The Finance (No.2) Act 2023 removed the Lifetime Allowance charge with effect from 6 April 2023, and the subsequent Finance Act 2024 removed the Lifetime Allowance in its entirety but introduced the Lump Sum an...| Lockton Global Benefits
In light of the ongoing war, the Israeli government passed legislation expanding reservists’ employment protections and introducing employment protections against dismissal and discrimination for the spouses of reservists. The new amendment is effective immediately. While most provisions apply through 31 December 2024, others apply until December 2025. The new changes may be extended further or expanded depending on the progression of the events in the region.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Belgium government passed legislation introducing employment protections against dismissal and discrimination for male and female employees undergoing infertility treatment or engaged in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Amendments to the Labor Act of 16 March 1971 and the Gender Act of 10 May 2007 entered into effect on 28 April 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
The UAE cabinet recently introduced an alternative voluntary option for private sector employers to deliver the End of Service Gratuity (EOSG) to their expatriate (non-UAE or GCC National) employees in the UAE and its free zones. The new government-sanctioned option involves externally funding a gratuity savings plan through monthly contributions that would replace the lump-sum payment calculation under the existing EOSG system. This gives interested employers the ability to move to a defined...| Lockton Global Benefits
The Japanese government passed legislation requiring employers to offer flexible working options to employees caring for young children and expanding existing work-life balance entitlements for working parents. Amendments to the Childcare and Family Care Leave Act and to the Development of the Next-Generation Children Act were enacted on 24 May 2024. While most of the changes will come into effect on 1 April 2025, some provisions will be effective at a date yet to be determined by the governm...| Lockton Global Benefits
On 29 November 2023, the French government passed the Profit-Sharing Act requiring companies with 11 to 49 employees to implement a profit-sharing scheme effective from 1 January 2025. This program is set to run as a five-year trial and will then be reassessed by the government to determine if the profit-sharing obligation for these smaller employers will become permanent and in what format.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Irish government is extending parent’s leave from seven weeks to nine weeks. The leave period is paid by Irish social insurance for qualifying employees. The Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019 (Extension of Periods of Leave) Order 2024 will enter into effect on 1 August 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
The South African parliament has recently passed legislation dividing occupational retirement contributions into two pots (referred to hereunder as components) making one-third of the funds accessible prior to retirement and the remaining two-thirds available only at retirement or death. The new system, known as the “two-pot” system, will come into effect on 1 September 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
On 1 July 2023, the Australian government increased the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contribution rate by 0.5% to 11% of employees’ earnings. The SG rate is scheduled to increase by 0.5% each year until it reaches 12% of employees’ earnings on 1 July 2025.| Lockton Global Benefits
The current mandate in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai requiring private employers to provide health insurance coverage to their foreign employees and domestic workers will extend to the remainder emirates of the UAE from 1 January 2025.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Lower House of the Colombian Congress recently approved a controversial government proposal (Bill 339 of 2023) to shift the financing of the healthcare system from private providers to the government. The reform has faced political challenges and opposition, resulting in the resignation of the former Minister of Health and a reshuffling of the cabinet. Despite these hurdles, the Colombian legislature continues to debate the reform. It is still unclear if or when the bill will pass into law.| Lockton Global Benefits
New flexible working rules have been implemented in the UK from 6 April 2024. The changes aim to enhance work life balance and foster a more flexible working environment.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Danish government passed amendments to the Maternity Act increasing leave entitlements for each parent of twins by 13 weeks, effective 1 May 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Chilian government passed amendments to the Labour Code reducing the weekly working hours limit from 45 to 40 hours and introducing more flexibility in the distribution of working hours. The amendments took effect on 26 April 2024, and will enter into force gradually over a period of five years. The workweek limit decreased to 44 hours on 26 April 2024, and will decrease further to 42 hours on 26 April 2026, and to 40 hours on 26 April 2028.| Lockton Global Benefits
The government of Québec recently passed the Act respecting French, the official and common language of Québec (the Act), which strengthens and clarifies the existing mandate to use the French language in the province and requires employers to ensure that all their human resources documentation is available in French. While most of the provisions of the Act entered into effect in 2022 and June 2023, others will enter into effect on 1 June 2025.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Irish government recently published a bill introducing the mandatory automatic enrollment of eligible employees into a central government-run defined contribution pension fund. Auto-enrolment is expected to take effect in January 2025, once the bill is passed.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Netherlands has embarked on sweeping pension reform that will affect most employer-sponsored and industry-wide pension plans and require significant effort from employers, employee representatives, pension providers, and asset managers over the next several years to amend schemes by the 1 January 2028 deadline. Employers should begin their transition planning now.| Lockton Global Benefits
As combat operations continue in Gaza, there have been several developments affecting the workplace, employee rights, and employer obligations in Israel.| Lockton Global Benefits
Cyprus has extended maternity leave entitlements for first-time birthing mothers, first-time adopting mothers, and mothers whose newborn is hospitalized for 14 or more days for health reasons. The extended leave provisions enacted by the Protection of Maternity (amendment) Law of 2024 apply to female employees who are on maternity leave or commencing maternity leave from 1 March 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
The government of Mozambique passed Labor Law No. 13/2023 introducing several changes, including increases in maternity leave, paternity leave, and annual leave entitlements. The changes entered into effect on 21 February 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Hong Kong Employment (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, which focuses on progressively increasing statutory annual paid public holidays from 13 days to 17 days by 2030, entered into effect on 5 March 2021. The first of the five additional public holidays, the Birthday of Buddha, became effective in 2022. The second one, which falls on the first weekday after Christmas, will become available to employees in December 2024.| Lockton Global Benefits
UPDATE: From 1 July 2024, government-paid combined gender-neutral parental leave will increase from 20 weeks to 22 weeks. Parental leave entitlements will increase again to 24 weeks from July 2025 and 26 weeks from July 2026.| Lockton Global Benefits
The Bahraini government recently introduced legislation (Edict 109 of 2023) requiring private sector employers to participate in a government program to fund and deliver the mandatory End of Service Gratuity (EOSG) payments for expatriate (non-Bahraini) employees.| Lockton Global Benefits
An abrupt worldwide shift to remote work in spring 2020 warranted many countries to pass teleworking legislation.| Lockton Global Benefits
