Flexibility Dutch court allows Booking.com to mandate 40% office attendance Judge grants substitute consent after finding works council had unreasonably refused to approve updated policy Disputes New unfair dismissal protections for small business employees in Italy Constitutional Court’s ruling abolishes two-tier treatment of those hired before and after 2015 Retirement Singapore brings forward plan to raise retirement age Workers will have to turn 65 to receive their pension, while facing rising layoffs, weaker job prospects, and age-based bias Politics Healey promises business “breathing space” in Budget packed with employment changes Wide-ranging package affects pay, recruitment, retention, and workforce planning, but offers no immediate solution to the employment tribunal backlog Disputes Chili’s tipped workers allege harassment under “customer comes first” culture Employees link reliance on tips to racial and sexual harassment, in a proposed class action that could open a new front in the battle over subminimum wages Disciplinary Spanish court finds Hitachi did not violate workers’ right to strike Judge upholds suspensions against 60 staff who refused to leave workshop after works council members were disciplined Unions Japan’s biggest labour union calls for 6% wage hike While larger firms can absorb costs, smaller employers are struggling to keep up with accumulating pay increases Community Eversheds Sutherland picks Sophie White to succeed Diane Gilhooley “Outstanding” London leader takes over as global practice head next month Restructuring Skydance and Microsoft offer buyouts to tens of thousands of workers Media group seeks savings after major merger, while software giant continues heavy investment in AI development Events Spring European Employment Summit International Employment Lawyer is delighted to announce that the fourth Spring European Employment Summit will take place on Wednesday 3 March 2027 at Croke Park, Dublin.The event will bring together senior in-house and private practice lawyers to explore the challenges and opportunities facing multinational employers and their counsel across the region. Research IEL Monitor IEL Monitor is a forward-looking, fully searchable database of upcoming and prospective employment and labour legislation from around the world, designed to alert in-house teams of new laws and regulations, and support timely compliance. Private Practice Leaders Natural justice and the high cost of getting it wrong Private Practice Leaders We’re living in an uncertain and troubling world In-house interview I was overwhelmed by what I didn’t know after moving in-house