The way you interact with your employees, how and where work is carried out and the approach used to incentivise and reward employees are changing every day, now more than ever before. As a result, employment related risks are also developing. When combined with increased scrutiny of compliance, it is more important than ever to manage those risks to limit financial exposure and reputational damage and to succeed in the race for talent.
Our regional Employment & Reward practice assists a range of businesses, from start ups, to some of the biggest global brands and government sector bodies to provide strategic advice and assistance and remove legal doubt. We take time to understand your business and enable you to navigate potential issues in a cost-effective and practical way, and ultimately achieve your commercial goals within an acceptable level of risk.
The future of work
How we work, our place of work and what we mean by “work” is being transformed. What does this mean for your business and how will it adapt in a legally compliant way? Are your contracts and policies fit for purpose in the new world of work?
Mitigating risk
People-related risks are increasingly challenging, particularly in a complex and rapidly developing regulatory landscape and at a time of significant uncertainty.
Do you have a clear understanding of your obligations to your people and their responsibilities to your business? How are you keeping that understanding up-to-date? Can you manage employee experience and risk in times of change, while still meeting your business objectives?
Responding to corporate strategy
Corporate strategy and business transactions have a direct impact on employees. Are you and your employees prepared for your next change in strategy or corporate transaction? Are your documents and communications robust enough to retain key talent and withstand scrutiny from others involved in a deal?
Balancing beyond legal obligations
Statutory requirements in the Middle East are often a bare minimum requirement rather than a gold standard. Recruiting and retaining key talent will require that you understand what best practice looks like and how to compete, in a way that aligns with your business strategy. Do you know what best practice looks like and whether you are meeting those standards?
Our Employment & Reward services
We provide regional assistance in respect of the entire spectrum of employment law issues including:
- Day to day advice and assistance
- Document reviews
- Transactional support
- Carrying out investigations
- Dispute resolution
- Know how and training
Day to day advice and assistance
Effective management of employee issues can significantly reduce reputational and financial risks. We assist by providing advice and support for clients across the Middle East on the entire spectrum of day to day issues from recruitment to termination of employment and beyond. We get to know you so that we can provide bespoke solutions which align with your values and expected results.
Document reviews
Robust contracts, policies and other documents can significantly mitigate risk for employers. We prepare and review employment related documents to ensure legal compliance, practical impact and user understanding. The documentation we prepare is tailored to your business and reflects best practice across the markets we operate in.
Transactional support
Whether buying or selling business assets, merging, restructuring or liquidating, employee issues must be properly considered and managed. We are a team of experienced employment lawyers, working closely with corporate colleagues to ensure that employee issues are managed having regard to much broader, and often shifting, corporate priorities. We work with you to identify and mitigate potential risk areas and to prepare or review documentation such as tripartite agreements and the employment aspects of sale documents.
Carrying out investigations
It is more important than ever to ensure employees are behaving in a legally compliant manner which aligns with business values and to act quickly wherever this may not be the case. However, it is not always possible to mobilise independent and experienced management to undertake local investigations or other processes. We regularly support businesses in carrying out their own employee related investigations or act on their behalf in managing an investigation process from beginning to end.
Dispute resolution
Despite proper management of employee issues, it is not possible to entirely remove the potential for complaints or disputes. We provide support in the event of a dispute, whether that involves advising on the merits of a claim, assisting in settlement discussions or managing representation before the local courts.
Know how and training
Employment laws across the Middle East are rapidly changing and it is important for you and your employees to be aware of your obligations. We provide bespoke training and workshops covering any employment law topic to help you understand what is required from your business and how to best comply.
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