Poland's Domanski Sees EU Defense Fund Agreement This Month
He told a news conference following a meeting of his EU counterparts in Brussels on Tuesday that member states agree on the 'vast majority of issues' even if some would prefer more flexibility.
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Forbes
a minute ago
- Forbes
What The EU Pay Transparency Directive Really Means For Day-To-Day Work
Hayley Bakker is the Head of Customer Journey & Digital Enablement at beqom, which supports pay equity with data-driven software. The EU Pay Transparency Directive, formally adopted in 2023, is a landmark law aiming to ensure that workers of all genders receive equal pay for work of equal value. It applies to EU-based companies with 100 or more employees and focuses on two key areas: pay transparency and pay equity. But this is more than a regulatory shift. It's a cultural one. Provisions like the right to know salary ranges, mandatory gender pay gap reporting and bans on asking about previous salaries are meant to close the gender pay gap. But beyond compliance, what does this mean for day-to-day work, employee-manager conversations and internal pay systems? Here's how these changes impact every level of an organization. 1. Employees Gain Visibility And Empowerment For employees, the most noticeable change is access to information. The directive gives them the right to request average pay levels for their job category, broken down by gender. Employers must publish salary ranges in job postings and be clear about pay progression criteria. This transparency shifts the balance of power and changes how employees approach hiring, promotions and salary discussions. Take Anna, a marketing manager who's spent five years at a tech firm in Madrid. She sees that her company's posted a replacement position, similar to her role. The posting includes a salary range, and when comparing this to her own pay, Anna realizes she's being significantly underpaid. When her next one-on-one with her manager arrives, she confidently raises the issue. This type of conversation might not have happened before. Transparency empowers employees to ask informed questions and expect informed answers. 2. Managers Have A New Level Of Accountability Managers must be ready to address tougher, more-informed compensation questions. Pay conversations can't be vague or take place once a year. Under the directive, managers are now accountable for fairness in pay decisions and must justify compensation using objective factors like role scope, performance and internal bands. Managers must become fluent in pay principles. For example, when Anna asks Daniel, her manager, why her salary is below the midpoint of the posted range, he can't give a generic answer. He needs to have a clear, policy-aligned explanation. Responses like 'That's just what we offered' are no longer sufficient. Companies must train managers to speak factually and consistently about compensation—or risk losing trust and talent. 3. HR Business Partners Are Coaches For Fair Pay HR business partners (HRBPs) play a vital role in turning pay policies into fair, everyday decisions. Part of their responsibility is coaching managers before pay reviews, guiding them through pay policies and helping identify bias in decisions. HRBPs also run pre-review checks to flag pay decisions that don't align with policy. For instance, at the tech firm where Anna and Daniel work, John is the HRBP who conducts department-wide compensation audits ahead of a pay cycle. He works to identify employee pay outliers that need justification or adjustment, and he helps managers like Daniel either explain or correct discrepancies. It's not just about fixing problems. It's about promoting intentional, defendable decision-making and embedding fairness in daily practices. 4. Compensation And Pay Equity Teams Drive Data-Backed Action The directive requires companies with more than 100 employees to report gender pay gaps. If gaps exceed 5%, then companies must conduct joint pay assessments. So, compensation and pay equity teams will be playing a much more visible role in the future. These professionals must develop grading systems, track analytics and guide corrective actions. For example, Lisa is a pay equity lead at the tech firm. She's created dashboards to show unexplained pay differences by gender and job. It's a tool that helps HRBPs and managers quickly spot and resolve inconsistencies. When a manager proposes a raise, they can see how it fits within internal pay equity models, ensuring fairness in real time. In a world where employees can ask, 'Why am I paid this?' having credible, data-backed answers is essential. 5. Leaders Set The Tone For Championing Transparency Executive leadership must actively model transparency and equity. That means setting clear pay equity goals, investing in tools and training across departments and speaking openly about pay structures and criteria. Some companies are already publishing pay equity goals and hosting internal Q&As where leaders explain pay philosophy and criteria. Others are working with consultants to understand their gaps and improve systems. When leaders are visible in these efforts, pay transparency becomes a shared value—not just a legal obligation. Compliance Is Just The Start The EU Pay Transparency Directive takes full effect in June 2026. But the opportunity lies in using it to lead a cultural transformation. Successful organizations won't just post salary ranges. They'll train managers, empower employees and build systems that support fair, consistent and data-driven pay decisions. Transparency isn't about revealing decisions. It's about standing behind them. Is your organization ready? Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Obagi, Milk Makeup Owner Waldencast Enters Filler Market With New Acquisition
Obagi injectables are in the works. Waldencast, the parent company of Milk Makeup and Obagi Medical skin care, has acquired Novaestiq Corp., an aesthetic and medical dermatological innovations company, as well as the U.S. rights to the Saypha line of hyaluronic acid injectable gels. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. More from WWD Polite Society Achieves in Two Years What Took Too Faced a Decade Ariana Grande's R.e.m. Beauty Hires CEO Lux Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Xochitl Gomez Lead '60s-inspired Beauty Trend at 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' Premiere The acquisition will sit under the Obagi brand, which will expand its offerings beyond skin care into the U.S. dermal filler market. 'We are excited to further diversify Obagi Medical's portfolio of medical-grade skin care with consumer centric, in-office injectable procedures,' said Michel Brousset, cofounder and chief executive officer of Waldencast. 'Adding proven products into our portfolio increases our addressable market and allows us to deliver solutions for professionals and patients seeking both skin care and aesthetic treatments, all under the trusted Obagi Medical brand.' Saypha, a product of Croma-Pharma GmbH, is developed and manufactured in Austria and marketed in more than 80 countries, but not yet available in the U.S. It is currently undergoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. According to Waldencast, Saypha's proprietary technology delivers advanced HA treatments through a stable 3D matrix designed to provide natural-looking results with optimally balanced gel characteristics. 'We believe that great results start with great skin care and are perfected with great after care,' said Dr. Suzan Obagi, chief medical director at Obagi Medical. 'By combining Obagi Medical skin care with injectable procedures under the guidance of a qualified professional, patients can achieve more significant, longer-lasting and natural-looking results. This acquisition also allows our professionals to offer patients more personalized, higher quality and safer products that their customers are looking for.' On putting it under the Obagi brand as opposed to running it as a standalone entity, Brousset said: 'The Obagi brand is actually a big part of what is going to boost the performance of this business. Our vision is to create Obagi as a mega brand in the world of beauty aesthetics, and have Obagi as the big platform to market [aesthetics] through the trust that physicians have on Obagi and through the trust that consumers have on our existing infrastructure system business model.' Brousset is open to more M&A opportunities, especially in the aesthetics space. 'This is our first step into aesthetics. We expect to have more steps in the future.' Best of WWD Sesame Oil Skin Care: The Secret to Hydrated Skin or a Recipe for Clogged Pores? How Grooming Is Introducing Men to Self-care and Redefining Masculinity Clean Beauty Brand Ignae Makes Big U.S. Push With a New Look Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
JPMorgan Warns of Stocks Complacency as Earnings Outlook Dims
(Bloomberg) -- Signs of stock-market complacency are emerging as the searing equities rally coincides with an acceleration in earnings downgrades, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. quantitative strategists. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US Why the Federal Reserve's Building Renovation Costs $2.5 Billion Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Milan Corruption Probe Casts Shadow Over Property Boom How San Jose's Mayor Is Working to Build an AI Capital Stocks have bounced back from April's slump at an even faster pace than after the Covid pandemic, sending the MSCI World Index and many regional benchmarks to record highs. At the same time, consensus data shows downgrades outpacing upgrades sharply in global earnings revisions, the JPMorgan team led by Khuram Chaudhry said. 'There appears to be an environment of bullish sentiment, speculation, and a growing air of complacency,' they wrote. 'Either sell-side analysts are about to start a new round of upward revisions or the market is at risk of suffering a period of increased volatility and draw-downs. Something has to give!' Net revisions for global earnings have slid 14.3% on a one-month basis and 18.7% over three months. For now, the US shows fewer cuts, thanks to strength in sectors like technology, they said, while regions like Asia and Europe face accelerating earnings-per share downgrades. Guidance in Europe has been weak, given the uncertainty around tariffs, with a slew of profit warnings, especially in the chemical sector. In the US, expectations are high for the Big Tech names after a 35% surge in the Nasdaq 100 since its April low. Cracks could still emerge in the second half, the analysts said. 'The US market is thriving on sectors like Technology and the 'Magnificent 7' stocks, fueled by the Generative AI trend,' they wrote. 'Yet cracks and volatility are increasingly likely in the second half. Investors should be on the lookout for a potential market rotation!' UK Profit Warnings Citing Geopolitics Hit a Record High, EY Says For those expecting looser monetary policy to boost the market, the three to four cuts priced in over the coming 12 months shouldn't be taken as a positive, Chaudhry and his team said. 'Any forthcoming interest rate cuts may signal underlying weakness, rather than a build up in positive sentiment.' Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border Thailand's Changing Cannabis Rules Leave Farmers in a Tough Spot How Starbucks' CEO Plans to Tame the Rush-Hour Free-for-All ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
