Conference programme

Join fellow delegates and speakers before the conference to network at the welcome reception. All registered delegates are welcome to attend.

Ujazdowski castle centre for contemporary art
Jazdów 2, 
00-467 Warsaw, 
Poland
 

Hot topics and new frontiers in employment relations. CEE perspective.

Our clients are inundated with articles, LinkedIn/blog posts and webinar invites. We know that personal branding is no longer optional, but what is the most effective way to go about it, without diminishing your professionalism or the legal profession at large? This session explores how to build more than mere visibility and instead develop credibility and genuine trust – online and offline – while also understanding the ethical and legal limits of marketing as a lawyer. Learn what is permitted, what is risky and how to position yourself confidently without crossing professional boundaries – with insights from experts in marketing and in-house roles representing potential clients.

Across the world, governments are introducing and revising legislation to promote the employment of war veterans and persons with disabilities (PwDs). Ukraine, for example, will introduce stricter quotas and accountability measures for employers in 2026, accompanied by a more employee-centred approach to hiring PwDs and ongoing reforms to create barrier-free environments for those with disabilities, including war-related injuries. Similar legislative efforts and draft laws can be found in other countries, especially as conflicts continue to increase the number of individuals affected by war.

This session will place these developments in a global context, highlighting the growing trend towards more robust legal requirements and greater support for the employment and inclusion of both PwDs and veterans. We will address key questions for employment lawyers and employers worldwide:

•    How are changing liability systems pushing employers toward greater compliance?
•    In what ways are new laws shifting the focus to employee needs and inclusion?
•    What new obligations may arise as the global community responds to the challenges posed by ongoing conflicts?
•    How can employers proactively prepare for evolving requirements regarding workplace accessibility and diversity?

Join us as we examine this important international conversation and discuss practical strategies for legal advisors and employers adapting to these changes.
 

Global employers are entering a new era in which pay transparency requirements and gender balance expectations in corporate leadership are no longer separate compliance topics, but interconnected elements of a broader regulatory and cultural shift towards measurable workplace equality. This panel examines how multinational companies can develop cohesive strategies that address both issues simultaneously:

•    Pay transparency obligations increasingly require employers to disclose pay structures, address pay gaps and communicate compensation philosophies in ways that respect cultural contexts while meeting legal standards.
•    Gender representation rules, including the EU Directive on gender balance in boardrooms and emerging requirements in other regions, push employers to demonstrate progress in leadership diversity and strengthen governance frameworks.

Rather than treating these developments in isolation, this session explores how they intersect: How does transparent pay data influence succession planning, leadership pipelines and board diversity targets? How do governance requirements shape internal equity efforts? And how can companies create consistent global approaches while navigating divergent national laws, cultural expectations and corporate structures? Participants will gain a comparative view of regulatory trends across jurisdictions as well as practical guidance on integrating compliance, communication, culture and employee expectations into a unified global equality strategy.
 

With employment laws shifting rapidly across jurisdictions, compliance is more complex than ever. This interactive roundtable brings together experts from various jurisdictions to share strategies for staying ahead of regulatory changes and managing global risk. From tension over return-to-work policies, reputational and staff cohesion issues over geopolitical views and the (mis)use of AI, participants will be invited to work in groups to identify the key challenges facing companies today and how these can be addressed. The session will conclude with each group presenting a list of their proposed challenges and possible solutions. This will be a highly engaging and interactive session. 

AI is transforming how companies recruit, hire, manage performance, discipline and restructure their workforce – but not without legal and ethical challenges. This session will explore this transformation, examining some cutting-edge workplace technologies as well as examining usage data and anecdotes from the front lines. AI may (at least arguably) lead to extraordinary gains in efficiency and productivity.  

Among the legal challenges to be examined are the privacy and data protection concerns arising from the vast quantities of data collected about employee behaviour. Likewise, employee use of AI tools risks the loss of confidential or trade secret information. Retaining and collecting such data increases potential cybersecurity and data breach risks. Algorithms may reflect the biases inherent in their underlying data, potentially perpetuating inequalities related to age, gender, ethnicity or background. There are fundamental questions of transparency, explainability and fairness when decisions are made by AI with no human input. Indeed, these issues (and others) point to the need for continued human involvement (if not management) and accountability for the recommendations generated by workplace AI tools.  
 

Join your fellow delegates and speakers for a seated dinner.

Arkady Kubickiego
Plac Zamkowy 4, 
00-307 Warsaw, 
Poland

Ticket price: €115

Transport will not be provided.