Employee activism has been making headlines since 2018, when the employees of a large tech company in the US staged a walkout from their employer in a protest at claims of sexual harassment, gender inequality and racism.

What has now become a trend in tech is impacting other industries and changing the classic labour relations landscape. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped it, although it has slightly changed its focus. In this session, Boris Dzida, David Mendel, Olivia Radin, Sarah Solum and Caroline Stroud discuss the reputational and financial risks for businesses, and explore how employers might best manage employee activism.

Employers are considering keeping the working from home set-up for some time to come, and (in some cases) possibly for good.

There has been a lot of discussion about what that might mean from an oversight perspective, and how it might change employers’ risk profile. 

In this session, Ben Morgan, Caroline Stroud, Holly Insley and Olivia Radin consider how companies are approaching their compliance and oversight arrangements and the impact of the new working environment on whistleblowing. They also discuss the possible approach of regulators when it comes to evaluating oversight standards, as well as the challenges that the new working environment holds for in-house lawyers and compliance officers.