Discrimination UK strengthens unfair dismissal protection for pregnant women Employers will need to show they considered all reasonable alternatives to firing new parents under new proportionality tribunal test Restructuring Barclays set to slash 5,000 jobs amid AI pivot Bank’s “icing on the cake” modernisation effort comes as it reveals bumper year for profits so far Supply Chains UK retailers call for mandatory supply chain due diligence law Business and rights groups say current patchwork of domestic legislation is toothless and goes unenforced Cross-border Transactions The employment lawyer’s role in M&A: Risks, pitfalls, and opportunities Employment issues can shape a deal at every stage. Early planning and close collaboration with clients can help manage risk, protect value, and smooth the path to completion Pay transparency Closing the gender pay gap: New transparency rules for Austria’s employers Even with national implementation delayed, employers should not wait to review their pay structures and remuneration policies Discrimination AI in HR: Legal risks employers should not underestimate Organisations that proactively address both employer and employee-side risks will be better positioned to realise the benefits while avoiding costly legal pitfalls Training AI, reskilling, and redundancies: What German employers need to know AI transformation requires more than merely identifying opportunities for automation Restructuring Why tailored AI tools are needed to manage complex workforce restructuring AI can cut restructuring workloads from days to hours – but responsible workforce reduction remains a human task Community Western Digital taps Smiths Group for first EMEA counsel Ming Evans settles into first week, telling IEL she’s excited to add her knowledge to data storage firm as it targets regional growth 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