Due to the pandemic-related increase in remote work, questions come up who will end up bearing additional costs – such as increased electricity costs and expenses for cell phone and internet plan. There is also a need for...more
When starting to take steps to return to a new normal where business continues, even as outbreaks may flare up, employee health and safety certainly are top of mind. Since many EU member states are loosening up COVID-19...more
The German government has agreed on additional benefit packages worth billions. Companies that recently implemented short-time work and their employees are to profit from this....more
In the wake of COVID-19, many companies in Germany implemented short-time work (Kurzarbeit) in order to safeguard jobs and save on personnel. In our previous blog, we outlined the application process and provided an overview...more
Employee health and safety are top of mind when it comes to work in times of the pandemic – and when starting to take steps to return to a new normal where business continues even as outbreaks may flare up. When the lockdowns...more
For working parents who are unable to fulfil their working duties due to the closure of kindergarten, day care centre and/or school as a result of the pandemic, the German parliament has passed a new law in a fast-track...more
Für berufstätige Eltern, die infolge der pandemiebedingten Schließung von Kindergarten, Kindertagesstätte und/oder Schule ihrer Arbeitspflicht nicht nachkommen können, hat der Gesetzgeber im Eilverfahren ein neues Gesetz...more
This Legal Q&A two pager gives an overview of non-compete clauses with a focus on post-contractual non-competes. Non-compete clauses can effectively protect the know-how of companies, especially in the tech sector. But their...more
The consequences of the spread of the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) have reached the German labour market. Many companies are daily confronted with new and complex legal questions regarding the handling of...more
Die Folgen der Ausbreitung des neuartigen Coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) haben den deutschen Arbeitsmarkt erreicht. Viele Unternehmen werden täglich mit neuen komplexen Rechtsfragen zum Umgang mit dem Coronavirus im...more
Der Bundestag hat am 13. März 2020 das "Gesetz zur befristeten krisenbedingten Verbesserung der Regelungen für das Kurzarbeitergeld" in einem Schnellverfahren verabschiedet, das den Unternehmen den Zugang zu Kurzarbeitergeld...more
This updated overview provides multinational employers practical advice to develop their coronavirus response strategy on an international level and to ensure a safe working environment for their employees under local...more
On March 13, 2020 the German parliament passed the “law on the crisis-related temporary improvement of the regulations for short-time work allowance” (Gesetz zur befristeten krisenbedingten Verbesserung der Regelungen für das...more
This updated overview provides multinational employers practical advice to develop their coronavirus response strategy on an international level and to ensure a safe working environment for their employees under local...more
This updated overview provides multinational employers practical advice to develop their coronavirus response strategy on an international level and to ensure a safe working environment for their employees under local...more
German employment law provides for a sophisticated system of employee representation. The employees' representative body on operational level is the works council (Betriebsrat). The works council is to be involved in...more
This overview provides multinational employers practical advice to develop their coronavirus response strategy on an international level and to ensure a safe working environment for their employees under local employment and...more
In Germany, employees enjoy rather strong protection against termination of employment. Additionally, there are some form requirements employers must observe. This Q&A two pager gives a basic overview of the termination...more
2/4/2020
/ Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
Garden Leave ,
Germany ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoffs ,
Notice Requirements ,
Redundancy Dismissals ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Severance Pay
Every player interested or already active in the German market needs to have a working knowledge of the key principles of German employment law which offers a good level of protection to employees. This is especially true for...more
2/3/2020
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Tax ,
Fixed-Term Labor Contracts ,
Germany ,
Holiday Pay ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Maternity Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Parental Leave ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Remuneration ,
Sick Leave ,
Sick Pay ,
Trade Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages ,
Working Time Regulations
The German Federal Labor Court (Bundesarbeitsgericht – BAG) will rule on February 25, 2020 whether an employer must observe co-determination rights of the works council when using a Twitter account....more
In one of its latest rulings, the Regional Labor Court of Munich concluded that crowdworkers or microtaskers are not employees under German employment law. However, the Court has allowed an appeal to the Federal Labor Court....more
At start-up, young technology companies focus entirely on their products, want to pitch and bring VC investors on board. Every euro in the budget counts, personnel is often limited, and legal advice seems expensive. For these...more
12/6/2019
/ Corporate Structures ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fixed-Term Labor Contracts ,
Freelance Workers ,
Germany ,
Hiring & Firing ,
International Labor Laws ,
Labor Regulations ,
Shareholders ,
Social Security ,
Startups ,
Venture Capital
In Germany, fixed-term employment is strictly regulated: As a rule, fixed-term requires objective grounds that justify the limited term. ...more
German employment law provides for rather strong dismissal protection. This is the main reason why more and more employers are hiring employees on a fixed-term basis, since this will in most cases end employment legally...more
The status of a managing director (Geschäftsführer) of a German limited liability company (GmbH) is determined (i) by the appointment as managing director and, thus, the corporate office as a legal representative of the...more