The rise of the machines – dealing with AI grievances

The most common themes for grumbling at all the recent employment law events I have attended have been the same: the youth of today; why the UK’s railway infrastructure is seemingly made of chocolate; and the tide of AI-assisted employee grievances.

Can’t help you with the first two, sorry, but somebody will have to do something about the third before the tension between the time they take to deal with and the resources which most employers and the ET system can afford to devote to resolving them becomes too great.

We have all seen them – turgid great things full of legal and case references, some of them genuine, but despite their length, often lacking specifics of what the employee is complaining about and what they want you to do about it. I offer three principal tips for employers trying to work out whether they are dealing with the real thing or not:

Workplace Investigations: Five Key Takeaways (Part One)

By James Pike, Sarah Wilkinson and Laura Nelson on June 30, 2026 Posted in Employee Welfare, Employment Law, Workplace Investigations

When workplace investigations hit the headlines, the risks can escalate quickly.

Suddenly, employers are dealing with media attention, social media commentary, employee concerns and potentially serious reputational risk – all while trying to conduct a fair and effective investigation.

We were recently privileged to host the International Employment Lawyer’s Workplace Investigations Masterclass, which included three lively and engaging panel discussions. Each was designed to address the thorny issues which can and often do arise in such situations, with valuable insights from a variety of panellists whose work (whether in-house or in private practice) keeps them at the coalface of workplace investigations.

In our view, the learnings from the sessions were too good not to share, so we have asked Squire Patton Boggs’ James Pike (Partner) and Sarah Wilkinson (Director), both of whom have significant experience in carrying out workplace investigations and were panellists in two of the sessions, to share their five key takeaways from the event, with the first two below and three to follow.

Virginia Expands Paid Sick Leave (US)

By Margaret Lombardo on June 25, 2026 Posted in Employment Law, Paid Sick Leave, State Law Updates, Time Off, Virginia

As we previously reported here, the Virginia legislature enacted a number of recent employment law updates. The most recent addition to this roster is Virginia’s expanded paid sick leave statute. On May 20, 2026, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed into law House Bill 5/Senate Bill 199, which mandates that all private employers and nearly all state and local governments provide eligible employees with at least one hour of paid leave for every thirty (30) hours worked, up to an annual accrual and usage cap of forty (40) hours, with unused leave carrying over to the following year.

Seventh Circuit Addresses Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) Damage Accrual (US)

By Margaret Lombardo on June 18, 2026 Posted in Biometric Data, Employment Law, Employment Policies, Illinois, State Law Updates

Many employers collect biometric data like retina or iris scans, voiceprints, hand scans, fingerprints, facial scans and DNA from their employees to track working hours, allow employee admittance to secure areas or provide access to pay stubs, among other reasons. The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) was enacted in 2008 to regulate and safeguard how private entities in Illinois handle biometric information, and imposes notice and consent requirements for the collection and storage of such data.

EEOC’s Shifting Priorities and Strategies (US)

By Caroline Carrier on June 16, 2026 Posted in Discrimination, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, EEOC, Litigation, Title VII

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) is the nation’s primary workplace discrimination authority. Since its establishment as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the federal agency has maintained jurisdiction over the investigation, mediation, and, in some instances, litigation of employment-based complaints.

Labor Update: New House Bill Proposes Changes to Initial Union Bargaining Process and NLRB Inches Closer to a Three-Member Majority

By Chase Clark on June 15, 2026 Posted in Arbitration, Collective Bargaining, NLRA, NLRB, Unions

Two recent developments in Congress signal potentially significant changes affecting labor law as we move further into 2026.

First, the House of Representatives passed the Faster Labor Contracts Act (H.R. 5408) on June 9, 2026. This bill would create a new process for negotiating collective bargaining agreements, in a way that significantly benefits unions. It would require employers to meet and begin bargaining with a union within 10 days after they receive a written bargaining request from a newly recognized or certified union. The parties must make “every reasonable effort” to reach an agreement during this initial period.

Italy introduces employment law reforms

By Elsa Mora and Simona Catallo on June 15, 2026 Posted in Employment Law, Employment Policies

Italy recently introduced Decree-Law No.62/2026 which seeks to address three key areas: (i) the definition of “fair wages”; (ii) the restructuring of social security contribution exemptions as part of efforts to boost employment levels; and (iii) the protection of workers engaged through digital platforms.

(i) Fair wages

The most significant change is the introduction of a new concept of a “fair wage”. Rather than setting a fixed minimum wage, the Decree defines a “fair wage” by reference to collective bargaining.

Reducing Legal Exposure When Managing Employee Performance Issues (US)

By Melissa Legault on June 10, 2026 Posted in Discipline, Employment Law, Employment Policies, Termination, Unfair dismissal

Effective performance management is not only a business necessity, but also one of the most important tools for reducing employment litigation risk. Few workplace decisions create more potential legal exposure than disciplining or terminating an employee for subjective performance-related reasons. In many cases, a lawsuit is not driven solely by the termination itself, but by poor (or non-existent) documentation, inconsistent treatment, delayed feedback or comments managers believed were harmless at the time. A poorly handled performance issue can quickly turn into claims of discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination or wage-and-hour violations. By contrast, employers that take a consistent, proactive and well-documented approach to performance management are in a much stronger position to defend their decisions and avoid costly disputes.

Below are practical steps employers can take to manage performance issues effectively while reducing legal exposure.

Italy implements the Pay Transparency Directive

By Elsa Mora and Simona Catallo on June 9, 2026 Posted in Labour & Employment, Pay Transparency

Italy has become one of the first EU member states to implement the Pay Transparency Directive. Legislative Decree 96/2026 came into force on 7June 2026, in accordance with the EU’s timetable. The Decree applies to both public and private sector employers, with some obligations differing depending on the size of the business.

Below we provide a short overview of the new rules for Italian employers. As can be seen from this, Italy has stayed relatively close to the wording of the Directive and has not sought to “gold plate” the provisions. Its existing national collective bargaining agreement framework also plays a key role in the new pay transparency landscape, with such agreements providing the basis for assessing key concepts such as “same work” and “work of equal value”.