Returning to the workplace and future of work

Global interactive guide and insights

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Companies across the world are exploring ways to gradually reopen their workplaces. Employers now face new questions over how to reintegrate their workforces in a safe, efficient, and legally compliant manner including difficult decisions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Norton Rose Fulbright provides this interactive global checklist on the recent development of strategies, tools and frameworks designed to assist returning employees to the workplace and also looking at changes to the future of work.

Global interactive guide

The guide has recently been updated to include current information on the safety and employment issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and plans regarding re-opening and returning to the workplace and issues employers should consider when looking at hybrid working. Key topics and resources include screening measures, managing teleworking employees, dealing with refusals to return to work, the COVID-19 vaccine and more.

Covering multiple jurisdictions, our interactive cross-border guide covers questions around reopening the workplace, including:

What risk mitigation efforts should the prudent employer take before employees return to the workplace?
Who should be involved in the decisions to return to the workplace?
How can an employer screen its employees, including temperature taking, COVID-19 testing and questioning?
What are the requirements regarding travel – either to or from the office or business travel?
How does the prudent employer decide which employees should return to the workplace?
What if an employee refuses to return to the workplace?
What are the safety and employment issues for consideration regarding the COVID-19 vaccines?
What particular issues should an employer consider when introducing hybrid working.

Access the entire guide to review individual countries. Or access the regional guides below to create and customize your own comparative reports between different jurisdictions.

Australia

Employers have duties relating to the health and safety of workers under work health and safety legislation.

Canada

Canadian employers have a legal obligation to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect employee health and safety.

France

Under Article L.4121-1 of the French employment code, employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of their employees.

Germany

Employers have a duty to take reasonable care for the health and safety of their employees in order to ensure a safe workplace.

Italy

Italian statutory law provides for a general employers’ duty to guarantee the health and safety of their employees.

Mexico

As a general rule, employers in Mexico have duties relating to the health and safety of their employees. This includes but is not limited to, providing employees with the necessary health and safety equipment and proper related training.

Netherlands

Employers should ensure that they are taking any necessary steps to protect their employees.

South Africa

OHSA places a general duty on employers to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risk to its employees.

Türkiye

In light of the relevant provisions of the Turkish Code of Obligations, the Labor Law, and the Occupational Health and Safety Law, employers are obliged to take all necessary measures to ensure workplace health and safety.