Employment Spotlight: Working from Home during COVID-19
Working from home has become increasingly popular in the wake of Covid-19 (coronavirus). This article examines the legal implications of working from home.
Employment Spotlight: Redundancies in Hong Kong
Employers may be making more redundancies than usual as Hong Kong finds itself facing a time of political and economic uncertainty. Whether you’re an employer or employee, it pays to have a basic understanding of the law regarding redundancies. How and when do situations arise whereby you may need to make someone redundant?
COVID-19 and the Operation of Force Majeure in Hong Kong
The outbreak of COVID-19 novel coronavirus has brought about disruptions to both public life and international business of an unprecedented scale. Not surprisingly, there have already been instances of parties relying on the contractual force majeure clauses to “excuse” themselves from performing onerous or impossible contracts.In this article, partners Nick Gall, Evelyn Chan and Trainee Solicitor Adriel Wong explore whether a force majeure clause applies to COVID-19 and to a party's performance, and the various actions to take if a party considers that it is entitled to invoke a force majeure clause.
Gall Contributes Updated Version of Hong Kong Pensions Q&A for Pensions Global Guide
Andrea Randall and Joni Wong recently provided updates on their Practical Law Q&A guide to pensions law in Hong Kong for Pensions Global Guide. The Q&A gives a high level overview of the key practical issues including: state pensions; supplementary pensions; funding and solvency requirements; tax on pensions; business transfers; participation in pension schemes; and employer insolvency and overall scheme solvency.
Gall Contributes Hong Kong Chapter to Legal 500’s Employee Incentives 2nd Edition Country Comparative Guide
Andrea Randall and Joni Wong recently contributed the Hong Kong chapter to Legal 500's Employee Incentives 2nd Edition Country Comparative Guide where they explored laws and regulations of Employee Incentives practice in Hong Kong including incentive plans, share options, compensation and legal requirements.
Employment Spotlight: Statutory Holidays Could Increase From 12 to 17 Days Per Year
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced last Tuesday, 14 January 2020 that the government intends to increase the number of Hong Kong statutory holidays from 12 to 17 days.
Employment Spotlight: Applicability of the Apology Ordinance in the Workplace
Increasingly, there has been a spotlight on issues and complaints which arise in the workplace. Common issues might include complaints relating to harassment, bullying, discrimination and preferential treatment. When tensions run high, an apology is often valuable in helping to diffuse conflict and amend relationships. However, there is often a general reluctance to apologise for fear that it might constitute an admission of fault which might be used against a party in legal proceedings.
Employment Spotlight: Maternity Leave Update
The Labour and Welfare Bureau (the “Bureau”) has recently announced measures to extend the statutory maternity leave in Hong Kong from 10 weeks to 14 weeks.
Employment Spotlight: The law on demotions in Hong Kong
A demotion normally involves a reduction in rank or status, or a decrease in job responsibilities and/or salary. An employer may wish to demote an employee for a variety of reasons including poor performance, capability and/or as an alternative to termination.Regardless of the reason for the demotion, an employer should be careful when demoting an employee. Any demotion should be managed professionally and lawfully; failure to do so may expose the employer to an unwanted claim.
Employment Spotlight Update: Statutory paternity leave to increase to five days starting from 18 January 2019
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare has recently announced that the Employment (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 2018, which increases statutory paternity leave to five days, will come into operation on 18 January 2019.
