Employment law - Simonsen

The employment and labour law department in SIMONSEN assists our clients with all aspects of employment and labour law, including the drafting of employment contracts, non-compete/non-solicit provisions, incentive schemes and individual pension schemes, requirements for fixed term employments, working hours, cooperation issues, control measures, terminations and dismissals, redundancies, reorganisations, business transfers, termination agreements and litigation. We also advise our clients on labour law (collective bargaining agreements) and with issues arising in international employments.

Many of the employment related challenges our clients face arise from a need for reorganising. We draft tailor made and practical step by step processes on the actions a company needs to take when considering temporary lay-offs, reorganisations, business transfers or redudancies. During the course of such processes we also advise our clients as issues arise: Can we derogate from the seniority principle? Are we obligated to consult with elected representative? Should we offer termination agreements and what should these agreements contain? We also assist our clients in negotiations on termination agreements.

In addition to questions relating to reorganisations our clients also come to us with questions like: Are we obligated to compensate an employe for a non-compete/non-solicit clause? Can we hire an employee on a fixed term basis? Is it possible to agree that overtime is included in the salary? Are we obligated to involve the employees in important decisions? Are we allowed to open the employee's email? What do we need to do in order to terminate someone if they do no perform?

The lawyers in the employment and labour law department have extensive experience with employment and labour law issues both within the public and private sector. Our client portfolio spans from small companies to several of Norway's largest employers within private and public sector, to global companies with thousands of employees. We work with CEOs, HR departments or leaders, and we have also long term experience in working with legal departments. We also occasionally advise employees in individual cases. Our aim is to provide practical and useful advise that is tailored to each client's individual needs. We also focus on keeping our clients updated on developments that are relevant for their business, and we offer courses and seminars on different employment topics.