European Union: Employment and HR

Performance bonuses in Malta have become standard in employment contracts, offering financial incentives for employees while helping employers attract talent. However, these bonuses exist in a legal grey area...

When can an employer in Malta dismiss an employee without conducting a disciplinary hearing? A recent Industrial Tribunal decision challenges the established norm that procedure always prevails over merits, examining the circumstances under which repeated insubordination and workplace safety violations may justify summary dismissal without formal disciplinary proceedings.

The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has ruled that workers operating through the Temper platform are temporary agency employees rather than self-employed contractors, fundamentally challenging the platform's business model and classification practices.

The Government of Malta has issued a significant public procurement call (CT2122/2026) for the development of the Sir Temi Zammit Hospital for Older Persons, a large-scale project combining construction, financing...

However, under the MFSA’s outsourcing expectations, the moment a third party supports a critical or important function, the conversation changes. You are no longer buying a service; you are creating a dependency that must be governable, auditable, and exitable.

In an era of rapid technological advancement and shifting regulatory landscapes, managing payroll effectively has become more critical and complex than ever.

Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup can energize workplaces with team spirit and camaraderie, but they also introduce specific legal risks when enthusiasm crosses into inappropriate behavior. This analysis examines how Belgian, Dutch, and Luxembourg employment laws address workplace harassment and discrimination during high-emotion sporting events, and what proactive measures employers must take to balance festive atmosphere with legal compliance.

Extreme heat continues to disrupt workplaces across Europe and beyond, raising a critical question for employers: can employees lawfully stop working when temperatures become unbearable? This analysis examines the legal frameworks governing work stoppage due to heat exposure, revealing that most jurisdictions tie the right to refuse work not to temperature alone, but to serious and imminent health and safety risks—and crucially, to whether employers have taken adequate protective measures.

As heatwaves intensify across Europe and beyond, employers grapple with balancing workplace dress codes against health and safety obligations. This global analysis examines how 24 jurisdictions approach the question of whether dress codes should be relaxed during extreme heat, revealing the tension between management prerogative, employee safety, and mandatory protective equipment requirements.

Lawmakers in Victoria, the UK, and the US are imposing new restrictions on non-disclosure agreements in employment contexts, particularly those involving workplace sexual harassment and discrimination. These changes require employers to rethink how they use confidentiality clauses in settlement agreements, with some jurisdictions now giving workers the right to terminate NDAs or rendering certain provisions void. Understanding these evolving legal frameworks is essential for multinational employers seeking

Malta's new Equal Pay Transparency and Reporting Regulations 2026 transpose EU Directive 2023/970, establishing comprehensive obligations for employers in both public and private sectors. The regulations mandate pay structure transparency, gender pay gap reporting, and enhanced worker protections to ensure equal pay for equal work between men and women.

Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup can energize workplaces with team spirit and camaraderie, but they also introduce specific legal risks when enthusiasm crosses into inappropriate behavior. This analysis examines how Belgian, Dutch, and Luxembourg employment laws address workplace harassment and discrimination during high-emotion sporting events, and what proactive measures employers must take to balance festive atmosphere with legal compliance.