Employment & Pensions
The environment in which you operate is changing rapidly. Flexible forms of employment are popular, but to what extent is this possible and how is regulation developing in this respect?
We advise on changes in the organisation as well as issues concerning employment and terms of employment. The hiring of self-employed workers and platform work is also on the rise. How does your organisation respond to these developments? At the same time, we see that permanent employees are now more strongly protected by the new legislation. How do you best deal with, for example, illness or underperformance of your employees under these circumstances?
Our approach
The lawyers in our Employment & Pensions practice group support you – strategically and operationally – in all your employment law challenges. We can assist you with handling a complex restructuring, terms of employment or an imminent strike. But also with the settlement of employment law problems in labour relationships with individual employees.
Our lawyers have a personal and easily accessible approach, are solution-oriented and act quickly as they understand that in employment time is of the essence.
Our experience
- Terms of employment
- Employment law in acquisitions
- Collective agreement and employee participation
- Hiring self-employed workers
- Dismissal
- Transfer of undertaking
- Pensions
- Restructuring
- Strike ban
- Directors under the Articles of Association
- Temporary agency work and secondment
- Public Servants (Standardisation of Legal Status) Act (Wnra)
- Sickness absence and rehabilitation
Our clients
Our team works for larger employers in the commercial sector. In addition, we are well versed in healthcare, education and government. We often work together with other teams within our firm, such as the Restructuring team, Corporate / M&A, Banking & Finance and ICT/privacy.
Recent cases Employment & Pensions
- Advice on staff sourcing: hiring employees, temporary agency workers and self-employed individuals and related intermediary services
- Negotiations with trade unions on Redundancy Plan
- Large-scale merger in the non-profit sector
- Advising on application of WNT (Public and Semi-Public Sector Senior Officials (Standard Remuneration) Act)
- Assistance to employers regarding cross-border employees and advice on their terms of employment
- Advising several municipalities on employment law issues
- Advice on hiring workers through digital platforms
Specialists
Legal Updates
Five most frequently asked questions about the Transparent and Predictable Employment Conditions Act
On 1 August 2022, the new Transparent and Predictable Employment Conditions Act (Wet transparante en voorspelbare arbeidsvoorwaarden) enters into force. The purpose of this Act is to make the content of work more transparent and predictable before it begins. We have received many questions about this new Act. In the Q&A below, we have listed the answers to the five most frequently asked questions for you.
Is your question not included, or do you have a question after reading the Q&A? Please feel free to contact one of our specialists.
1. When is training mandatory?
Antwoord
The key question is whether it is training that the employer must provide to the employee. This can be training required by law, such as company emergency response training, but it also covers what is known as the 'general obligation to follow training'. This includes the training required to be able to perform or continue to perform the job (e.g. due to the implementation of a new computer system or as part of an improvement plan). Employees should also be given the opportunity to follow training if their position becomes redundant or if they are no longer able to perform the job, where this can reasonably be required of the employer. However, the employer is not obliged to provide training necessary to obtain a diploma or certificate that the employee should already have, when first starting work, in order to be permitted to do the job by law.
It is not always easy to determine whether a course is classified as mandatory training. And this is likely to become a point of discussion in the coming period.
2. What happens to existing study cost clauses?
Antwoord
Study cost clauses for mandatory training are no longer permitted under the new Act and will therefore be void as of 1 August 2022. However, if training is completely separate from the job and is not required by law, the employer and employee can still validly agree on a study cost clause. Those types of existing study cost clauses will continue to be effective, even after the new Act comes into force.
3. What is the difference between a predictable and an unpredictable work pattern?
Antwoord
The new Act distinguishes between predictable and unpredictable work patterns. Both work patterns create different information requirements. For example, if there is a predictable work pattern, an employer must let an employee know if he or she must work overtime, how it will be paid, and whether the employee must work alternating shifts. In the case of an unpredictable work pattern, the employer must state that the hours during which an employee must work are variable and must specify reference days and hours and the applicable on-call periods.
A predictable work pattern exists if the hours during which an employee must work are largely predictable. For example, legislative history states that alternating schedules or shifts do not, as such, detract from the largely predictable nature of the work pattern.
An unpredictable work pattern exists when most of the hours during which an employee must work are not known beforehand. For example, if the employer and employee have agreed on a fixed number of working hours, but have not specified the hours during which the employee must work beforehand. On-call workers have, by definition, an unpredictable work pattern.
The rules that already applied to on-call workers will cover all unpredictable work patterns, such as on-call periods of in principle four days and the rule that if the call is withdrawn or changed within those four days the employee must still be paid for the hours of the original call.
4. Do existing employment contracts need to be amended?
Antwoord
The employer does not have taken immediate action to amend current employment contracts if the work pattern is predictable. Employers do not have to provide the required information until the employee requests it (after which they must provide the information within one month).
For employees with an unpredictable work pattern, employers must, however, record the employee's reference days and hours in writing for existing employment contracts too, with effect from 1 August 2022. These are the days and hours when the employee may be required to come to work. It does not have to be incorporated in the employment contract, but may also be communicated by sending a letter or e-mail, or otherwise. The employee does not have to sign the new arrangements, but for the avoidance of doubt, it is recommended that the employee confirm them.
5. Should objective reasons be included in the ancillary activities clause?
Antwoord
The employer must have an objective reason for invoking this clause or rejecting a request for permission to perform outside ancillary. It is only when that happens that an employer must communicate the objective reason to the employee. The objective reason does not therefore need to be included in the ancillary activities clause.
