Labor and Employment
Overview
Adapting promptly to changes in the modern workplace
There are myriad influences that can bring change to the workplace. Businesses must take account of evolving employee expectations, growing customer demand and new technologies, not to mention economic fluctuation and even pandemics. What is more, businesses active in Belgium must work within the country’s complex legislative set up and the specific linguistic rules that govern its different territorial regions.
We help local and global clients respond promptly to their workplace challenges and we support them as they reconfigure their workplace for the future. Our goal is to help clients ensure the prosperity of their business while taking into account employee needs for an appropriate work-life balance with fair and transparent compensation and benefits. We advise clients on both individual and collective employment law issues and assist them with their social security and HR privacy issues.
This is a good team with the capabilities to assist employers in a broad range of employment questions and issues. Employers are in good hands with the employment team of Crowell.
— Legal 500, EMEA, Employment, 2023
Our Services
We advise our local clients on all aspects of individual labor and employment law, providing them with day-to-day advice on employment and termination agreements, company policies, bonus plans, and work time regulations (flexi hours and overtime "on demand"). We also help our clients tackle workplace harassment and support them as they address diversity and discrimination issues, workplace privacy, and pay and social security aspects (including regulatory matters).
We also advise, assist and defend clients across a wide range of collective issues, including the conclusion of collective bargaining agreements, trade union and work council issues, social elections, and protected workers’ termination issues. We provide our clients with assistance in case of collective conflicts involving strikes, the blocking of plant entrances and general labor unrest.
Furthermore, we advise on outsourcing, trade secrets and whistleblowing, and we offer training (both online and in-person) on all aspects of Belgian and EU labor and employment law.
Sometimes businesses need a helping hand to ensure any restructuring is achieved as painlessly as possible. We are well known for our pro-active and flexible assistance to clients that are restructuring either at a national or international level: e.g., transfer of undertakings, collective dismissals, closure of all or part of an undertaking, and related social conflicts. For these matters we often work in conjunction with our Brussels corporate and IP teams.
Our Brussels team works closely with our global mobility practice in the U.S., Asia, and London to offer our international clients help with the issues arising out of the movement of talent across borders.
Our Brussels offices offers a Whistleblowing Virtual Assistant that can provide practical insights to help your company or organization comply with the obligations under the EU Whistleblower Directive.
We provide our clients with day-to-day counseling and training on data protection compliance e.g., via on-site workshops and tabletop exercises. We help with contractual work and global and Europe-wide privacy audits. We analyze our clients’ existing data protection practices and make recommendations for compliance, helping them to better understand their data processing, map the location and flows of the data, and identify potential threats and compliance issues. We assist in the development and implementation of tailor-made privacy programs, which may include drafting new privacy policies and procedures, notices, and data transfer agreements, as well as advice on security measures to be taken.
For our international clients who wish to set up an establishment in Europe, we offer a one-stop-shop for all their labor and employment and social security needs. We provide a full array of integrated legal services to help companies set up, manage, structure and develop their business in Europe. If the choice of location is Belgium, we handle everything ourselves in close collaboration with our clients’ legal department. Elsewhere in Europe, we can rely on our Crowell colleagues in London and on our trusted and extensive network of local counsel across Europe to ensure our clients’ European mobility.
We help with work permits and professional cards, visas, residence permits, and LIMOSA. We also assist our clients to comply with EU and international employment, social security and tax regulations and practices, including multiple employment schemes and secondments.
Practice depth
We take the time to get to know our clients and their needs. Our services are customized and goal oriented. We regularly organize seminars and webinars on topical issues in the labor and employment field. We also publish FAQ brochures, client alerts, and newsletters with information on labor and employment-related developments, such as new regulations or collective bargaining agreements and notable case law.
Insights
Client Alert | 22 min read | 05.31.24
2024: An Overview of New and Upcoming Belgian and EU Laws and Regulations – UPDATED in May 2024
At the beginning of the year, we brought to your attention that a number of important Belgian and EU legislative changes are likely to have an impact in 2024: there are new laws that have been adopted and proposals that are expected to firm up into law.
Firm News | 3 min read | 04.01.24
Firm News | 2 min read | 03.14.24
Chambers Ranks Crowell Lawyers and Practices in 2024 Europe Guide
Insights
"Op de To Do lijst voor HR verantwoordelijken in 2023 | 01.25.2023 Event Confederation"
|01.25.23
Event Confederation
Working with freelancers, to work or not to work with a written agreement?
|06.10.22
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03.21.22
IBJ/IJE Partnerblog
La motivation du licenciement en 109 questions & réponses
|12.31.21
Etudes Pratiques de Droit Social, Wolters Kluwer
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12.01.21
Liber Amicorum Wilfried Rauws – Werk opgedragen aan een onvolprezen jurist, Intersentia
Ontslagmotivering in 109 vragen & antwoorden
|10.29.20
Sociale Praktijk Studies Series, Wolters Kluwer
'Welke rol heeft de bedrijfsjurist in de duurzame ontwikkeling?' in Tendensen in het bedrijfsrecht – De rol van de bedrijfsjurist in de duurzame ontwikkeling van de onderneming
|01.01.20
IBJ/IJE, Larcier-Intersentia
Employment & Labour Law: Belgium
|01.01.19
Global Legal Insights to: Employment & Labour Law, Seventh Edition
"Webinar on Contractual Clauses - Capita Selecta," Crowell & Moring Webinar, 2023.
|06.22.23
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04.07.22
Crowell & Moring’s Trade Secrets Trends
Employees may come and go. But will your trade secrets follow them?
|04.01.21
Crowell & Moring’s Trade Secrets Trends
Insights
Client Alert | 22 min read | 05.31.24
2024: An Overview of New and Upcoming Belgian and EU Laws and Regulations – UPDATED in May 2024
At the beginning of the year, we brought to your attention that a number of important Belgian and EU legislative changes are likely to have an impact in 2024: there are new laws that have been adopted and proposals that are expected to firm up into law.
Firm News | 3 min read | 04.01.24
Firm News | 2 min read | 03.14.24
Chambers Ranks Crowell Lawyers and Practices in 2024 Europe Guide
Insights
Client Alert | 22 min read | 05.31.24
2024: An Overview of New and Upcoming Belgian and EU Laws and Regulations – UPDATED in May 2024
At the beginning of the year, we brought to your attention that a number of important Belgian and EU legislative changes are likely to have an impact in 2024: there are new laws that have been adopted and proposals that are expected to firm up into law.
Firm News | 3 min read | 04.01.24
Firm News | 2 min read | 03.14.24
Chambers Ranks Crowell Lawyers and Practices in 2024 Europe Guide