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BEERG Bytes

BEERG Bytes

By Tom Hayes - HR Policy Global / BEERG

Informal discussions on HR and labour relations issues. Moderated by Tom Hayes of HR Policy Global/BEERG.
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BEERG Byte #36 - Remote Working Issues

BEERG BytesJan 17, 2022

00:00
28:30
BEERG Bytes: Platform Workers Directive
Mar 14, 202418:04
Items on the EU's agenda of interest to HR professionals

Items on the EU's agenda of interest to HR professionals

Though BEERG is now known as HR Policy Global Europe... we will stick with BEERG Bytes as the name of this series of Podcasts for HR professionals. In this first episode of 2024, Tom Hayes looks at the items on the EU's legislative agenda for 2024.

Feb 05, 202413:49
Knowing Me, Knowing EU... Nov 2023

Knowing Me, Knowing EU... Nov 2023

In this episode Tom Hayes looks at the EU's legislative agenda on HR and labour relations as both the EU Parliament and Commission near the end of their 5-year mandates.

Though things will quieten down from April to June 2024, there is plenty on the agenda after that. There is a "third wave" of information and consultation obligations coming, via directives and initiatives on: Platform Workers, AI Liability, Corporate Due Diligence... and more.

Nov 14, 202315:20
Technical Solutions for Hybrid and Remote Meetings

Technical Solutions for Hybrid and Remote Meetings

This episode looks at technical issues rather than policy ones. Tom chats with Daniel Beuster, Project Manager with Context, about the technical options and solutions for the growing number of interpreted EWC hybrid and remote meetings and best practise in making these meetings as productive as possible for all participants.

Context is a technology driven Language Services Provider with a strong focus on EWC meetings. Context has been providing interpretation and managing technical equipment for EWC meetings since the 1994 EU Directive, and since the COVID-19 pandemic has embraced interpreted hybrid meetings.

Nov 13, 202319:43
Remote Work - Talking About the Generations
Sep 04, 202318:25
Reflections on Negotiations... lesson from the Tubridy/RTÉ saga
Aug 22, 202310:20
Knowing Me, Knowing EU - 3rd Wave Part 2
Jun 07, 202319:10
Knowing Me, Knowing EU - The 3rd Wave of EU Laws...

Knowing Me, Knowing EU - The 3rd Wave of EU Laws...

In this episode Tom Hayes talks about the coming “third wave” of European Union laws which mandate information and consultation and attempt to promote collective bargaining and ask what challenges they will pose for management.  

This is part 1 of an a two part series of related episodes. Part 2 will be published around June 7th

May 26, 202315:59
Knowing Me Knowing EU - Gender Pay Transparancy, EWCs and other important issues

Knowing Me Knowing EU - Gender Pay Transparancy, EWCs and other important issues

Today's Knowing Me, Knowing EU comes to you on the day when the European Parliament adopts new rules on binding pay-transparency measures. This is one of the most important recent pieces of social and employment law - and Tom Hayes sets out why companies need to start preparing for this law now. He also discusses the EU Commission's ongoing work to reform the EWC directive and looks at other measures in the EU pipeline such as those on due diligence and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Mar 30, 202316:10
Knowing Me Knowing EU Ep 6 - New AI laws

Knowing Me Knowing EU Ep 6 - New AI laws

In this episode Tom discusses the EU's planned new AI and Due Diligence laws and their impact on HR/IR decision making. He also explores the risk of EU policy makers being so focused on due diligence requirements that it risks driving investment to places such as the US, where President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act is attracting many US businesses to return home.

Feb 28, 202317:51
Knowing Me Knowing EU - Ep 4

Knowing Me Knowing EU - Ep 4

In this first Knowing Me, Knowing EU of 2023 Tom Hayes looks at the EU's 2023 legislative program in the area of social policy and employee relations. It will be a hectic year with initiatives on platform works, gender pay, and use of AI in the HR area. These are in addition to the other changes to which HR professionals were becoming accustomed.    

Feb 01, 202314:19
Interview with Roy Bahat

Interview with Roy Bahat

Tom chats with head of Bloomberg beta, and noted writer about the future of work, Roy Bahat about his view that the US model of labor relations is broken and must be fixed. See Roy's blog here: https://also.roybahat.com/ 

Jan 24, 202325:47
BEERG Byte - Social Media and HR
Jan 18, 202326:55
Knowing Me, Knowing EU - Episode 3

Knowing Me, Knowing EU - Episode 3

Among the topics explored by Tom Hayes, in this third instalment of BEERG's monthly stream of short podcasts on issues of interest to labour relations professionals, from across the European Union, are:

  • Progress in EU moves to increase the number of women on company boards
  • EU's plans to legislate on Supply Change Due Diligence; 
  • the risks of a creating a work/life balance divide between those who can work from home and those who cannot 
  • The flawed assumption underpinning the Radtke proposals for EWC reform   
Dec 06, 202219:12
Knowing Me Knowing EU Ep 2

Knowing Me Knowing EU Ep 2

Welcome to episode 2 of our new monthly stream of short podcasts on issues of interest to labour relations professionals, from across the European Union. 

In today's episode, Tom Hayes discusses the following key issues: 1. The impact of 10%+ inflation on wage demands and labour unrest, 2. Supply Change Due Diligence, 3. The impact of AI on HR systems and demands for great regulation... Tom also touches on UK plans to discontinue 1,000s of pieces of EU legislation and Ireland's plans to make its work from home rules more employee friendly.  

Nov 02, 202217:44
Knowing Me Knowing EU - Ep01 Sept 2022
Oct 03, 202218:58
BEERG Byte #42: Is Collective Bargaining Making A Comeback?
Aug 07, 202219:43
BEERG Byte #41 - LR Developments in UK

BEERG Byte #41 - LR Developments in UK

In this episode Tom Hayes chats with Vince Toman and David Hopper of Lewis Silkin LLP about UK legal developments, including the aftermath of the P&O Ferry dispute; the decision in the Tesco “fire and rehire” case, and the government law change to allow companies to bring in agency workers to replace striking employees. They also discuss the now complicated law about “final offers” in collective bargaining and when an employer can go directly to the workforce and wonder if a new Prime Minister might try to make it even more difficult for unions to strike.

Jul 26, 202227:23
Supply Chain Due Diligence

Supply Chain Due Diligence

In this BEERG Byte Tom Hayes chats with Auret Van Heerden about how companies can meet the due diligence expectations of the supply chain laws in a way that is scalable and affordable.

Jul 21, 202220:14
BEERG Byte #39 – EWC Agreements study + German developments

BEERG Byte #39 – EWC Agreements study + German developments

In the latest BEERG Byte #39 Tom Hayes chats with Dr Gerlind Wisskirchen, of C/M/S/-HS about a recent study her labour law team conducted on the content of EWC agreements.  The survey looked at country of jurisdiction, the number of representatives of EWCs, employee thresholds for EWC seats, budgets for experts, amongst other things. They also discuss the new German Whistleblowing legislation, and the agenda of the SDP/FDP/Green government. It is available as a Videocast on YouTube

Apr 27, 202220:20
BEERG Bytes #38 – P&O Ferries Saga

BEERG Bytes #38 – P&O Ferries Saga

BEERG's Tom Hayes chats with David Hopper and Vince Toman of Lewis Silkin about the controversy arising for P&O ferries decision to make 800 UK based seafarers redundant.  The discussion was recorded on March 25th one day after a UK Parliamentary committee hearing where MPs took the P&O management to task over their actions and questioned UK ministers on their response, specifically lacunas in the UK’s laws, which the UK government says it will speedily address.

Mar 25, 202218:07
BEERG Byte #36 - Remote Working Issues
Jan 17, 202228:30
BEERG Bytes #35 – IR in Northern Ireland today

BEERG Bytes #35 – IR in Northern Ireland today

We know Northern Ireland from its troubled past and the current argument over the NI Protocol… but does Northern Ireland have a distinct IR culture? Is that different from the rest of the UK?

What might the Protocol mean for IR in NI? Would NI legislation be very different from that of the UK? What about the Equality Directives? What about Data Adequacy?

Tom is joined by Ciara Fulton of Lewis Silkin LLP and Mark McAllister of the Northern Ireland the Labour Relations Agency, to discuss these issues

Nov 16, 202129:58
BEERG Bytes #33 – Italy's “Green Pass” workplace system

BEERG Bytes #33 – Italy's “Green Pass” workplace system

Tom is joined by Lea Rossi and Marco Sideri, partners in the law firm, Toffoletto De Luca Tamajo e Soci, to discuss the “Green Pass” obligation on employees, introduced last Friday in Italy.  The pass, accessed via an App, shows if the person has met one of three criteria. It is a Green/Red (yes/no) system. The criteria are: 1. has the required Covid vaccination(s), 2. recovered from Covid-19 within the past 6 months, or 3. has a negative swab test taken in the past 48-72 hours. The App does not indicate which criteria was matched, just that the person has matched one and is able to enter the workplace. Recorded Oct 18th 2021

Oct 18, 202117:15
BEERG Bytes #32 with Pernille Rudlin
Oct 04, 202128:41
BEERG Bytes #30 - German Election Results

BEERG Bytes #30 - German Election Results

In this episode Tom discusses the recent German election with Dr Fabian Zuleeg, CEO of the European Policy Centre in Brussels. They consider the possible policy changes you might see from a traffic light coalition government comprising the Red (SPD), Yellow (FDP) and Green (The Greens) parties. 

Sep 30, 202115:39
BEERG Bytes #31 - Coping with working from home

BEERG Bytes #31 - Coping with working from home

Tom is joined by Stuart Worker of thepurposeful.co.uk. Stuart is a leadership development coach, specialising in human motivation and team dynamics. Tom and Stuart talk about the health, safety and psychological issues that arose over the past 18 months of working from home.This is the first of two conversations with Stuart. The next one will focus on the problems we can expect to see arise from hybrid working.

Sep 30, 202122:38
BEERG Bytes #29 - Brexit 9 months on…

BEERG Bytes #29 - Brexit 9 months on…

Tom Hayes is joined by Vince Toman and Stephen O’Flaherty of Lewis Silkin LLP to discuss the impact of Brexit on labour relations issues across the UK, particularly Northern Ireland. The conversation looks at issues around: the Northern Ireland Protocol; the end of Freedom of Movement and the position of EWCs in the UK.

Sep 28, 202129:12
BEERG Bytes #28 with Auret Van Heerden

BEERG Bytes #28 with Auret Van Heerden

Tom Hayes is joined by Auret van Heerden a labour rights expert and founder/CEO of Equiception, a consultancy  specialising in sustainable supply chains, corporate social responsibility and workers’ rights. They discuss the requirement for companies to report what they are doing to prevent modern forms of forced labour and how HR data may be used in conducting remote human rights due diligence. 


Jul 28, 202128:51
Beerg Byte Podcast - Taking Stock July 2021

Beerg Byte Podcast - Taking Stock July 2021

As we prepare for the European August holidays… I was going to say shutdown, but shutdown has taken on a new meaning over the past year… I thought it might be useful to try and take stock of the European-level employment and labour relations issues that BEERG member companies will face when we resume in September.

Jul 27, 202128:09
BEERG Bytes #26 with Prof Tom Kochan (HD)

BEERG Bytes #26 with Prof Tom Kochan (HD)

Tom Hayes chats with with Tom Kochan, professor of industrial relations, work and employment, at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this edition, the two Toms discuss the current state of US industrial relations. They explore whether the system is broken, if it can be fixed and what the future holds for U.S. industrial relations. Recorded May 26th 2021

May 29, 202133:22
BEERG Bytes #26 with Prof Tom Kochan

BEERG Bytes #26 with Prof Tom Kochan

Tom Hayes chats with with Tom Kochan, professor of industrial relations, work and employment, at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In this edition, the two Toms discuss the current state of US industrial relations. They explore whether the system is broken, if it can be fixed and what the future holds for U.S. industrial relations. Recorded May 26th 2021

May 26, 202133:22
BEERG Bytes #25 - Axel Voss MdEP on GDPR

BEERG Bytes #25 - Axel Voss MdEP on GDPR

Tom Hayes discusses GDPR reform with the EPP's spokesperson on data privacy in the European Parliament, Axel Voss (CDU Germany). Mr Voss will shortly be publishing detailed reforms to update and modernise GDPR to take account of developments in digital technology and to make GDPR less cumbersome for both businesses and citizens. 

May 03, 202129:03
BEERG Bytes #24 - Anne Hill on HR

BEERG Bytes #24 - Anne Hill on HR

Anne Hill believes there has never been a better time for people to get into HR.  Tom Hayes chats with Anne, whose career has spanned 2 continents, 3 industries and working with Fortune 500 companies. They discuss her experience as a senior CHRO and her thoughts on the future for HR.

Apr 28, 202129:34
BEERG Bytes #23 - Negotiating skills

BEERG Bytes #23 - Negotiating skills

Tom Hayes examines the critical importance of knowing how to negotiate. He reflects on what he has learned in 50 years as a negotiator, especially what he was taught when starting out as a young trade union official in Dublin. He also analyzes the UK's approach to the Brexit talks as a case study of what not to do. 

Apr 21, 202117:29
BEERG Bytes #22 - Irish govt reviews collective bargaining and industrial relations structures
Apr 06, 202120:48
BEERG Bytes #21 - German unions' legal communication rights

BEERG Bytes #21 - German unions' legal communication rights

Tom chats with german labour lawyer, Dr Buckard Goepfert about the legal right of German trade unions to digitally communicate with members and potential members.  

Mar 30, 202125:14
BEERG Bytes #20 - Social Media and Fake News

BEERG Bytes #20 - Social Media and Fake News

Tom chats with Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, about disinformation and digital hate on social media.

Mar 18, 202131:29
BEERG Bytes #14

BEERG Bytes #14

Tom Hayes chats with Annemarie Muntz, MD Global Public Affairs with Randstad and President of the World Employment Confederation about the future of work with, and after, Covid-19. Annemarie says the future of work is now and that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated this evolution, not created it. Recorded in Sept 2020

Feb 22, 202128:18
BEERG Bytes #15

BEERG Bytes #15

Tom Hayes chats with Chris Herd founder and CEO of Firstbase about the issues associated with moving to remote working and/or hybrid working. This episode was recorded in October 2020.

Feb 22, 202130:57
BEERG Bytes #19
Feb 22, 202132:24
BEERG Bytes #18

BEERG Bytes #18

Tom Hayes discusses how Brexit is going so far with UK trade policy expert David Henig.  

Jan 22, 202133:45
BEERG Bytes #17
Nov 20, 202032:46
BEERG Bytes #16

BEERG Bytes #16

Tom Hayes is joined by Iñigo Sagardoy de Simón from Sagardoy Abogados and Oriol Abello from HP to discuss the Spanish government’s Royal Decree 901/2020 which requires companies with more than 50 employees to draw up and negotiate equality plans.

Nov 07, 202029:22