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When the government of Denmark announced in October that bereaved parents would receive 12 weeks of paid employee leave after the loss of a spouse or partner (provided they have minor children together), it marked another entry in the increasingly complex global tapestry of employee leave entitlements impacting multinational employers.
The Danish measure, effective January 2026, is just one of dozens of leave-related changes set to take effect worldwide in the coming months, according to Mercer’s recent Global Legislative Update.
From Greece’s sweeping labor reforms to Poland’s expanded definition of qualifying service time, employers operating across borders face mounting challenges in tracking and complying with an ever-shifting patchwork of local requirements.
“The variation is staggering,” the report notes, highlighting how jurisdictions are moving in entirely different directions. For instance, while Belgium is closing its early retirement scheme to new entrants, other countries are expanding such programs. Examples include Romania, which has introduced tiered sick leave payments based on duration, and Slovakia, where employers are now required to pay for 14 calendar days of sick leave instead of the previous 10.
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When ‘family’ means different things
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