LEGAL
Employment
Partnering with you to help manage your people and your workplace to succeed
Search our PeopleTo stay competitive, and attract and retain a top workforce, employers need to keep ahead not only of the changes to laws, but to wider trends, such as the trend towards remote work and flexible arrangements, growth of the gig economy, the way technology is transforming the workplace, the growing skills gap, and ESG in the workforce, through to human rights, diversity and inclusion.
Our long-standing clients come to us for day-to-day HR queries through to complicated issues which involve serious risks to reputation, workplace restructuring and industrial relations. Our employment group have advised and collaborated with many leading businesses on numerous contentious, transactional and advisory matters. We recognise that to succeed in a complex and fast-moving commercial climate, a law firm that understands the employment needs of your business is paramount.
Global team
Our global employment team delivers incisive legal advice and pragmatic solutions to multinational and local clients on all aspects of employment law.
End to end service
We advise on all legal, strategic and practical issues arising out of the employment or engagement of employees, workers, directors, consultants and contractors, from their recruitment to retirement.
Workplace training
Sharing our knowledge with your team.
How we can help
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Employment Advisory and Compliance
We can help you understand if you are meeting the employment obligations for the locations where you operate.
Read moreEmployment Advisory and Compliance
Meeting your compliance obligations
We can help you understand if you are meeting the employment obligations for the locations where you operate. Responsibilities that need to be reviewed include pay obligations, work conditions, leave arrangements, managing requests for flexible working arrangements, and providing a safe place to work and adequate workplace facilities.
Customised pragmatic advice
The regulatory regime is complex across jurisdictions, including discrimination, privacy and safety laws. We help you to manage and comply with these issues through practical, tailored advice, effective policies, processes and training. We work in the way that best suits you such as providing customised pragmatic advice, conducting gap analyses, developing systems and offering workplace training solutions.
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Collective Bargaining and Industrial Relations
To achieve your corporate objectives in a flexible, productive and cost-effective way, you need a labour relations strategy that identifies and mitigates the risks and obstacles.
Read moreCollective Bargaining and Industrial Relations
A labour relations strategy
To achieve your corporate objectives in a flexible, productive and cost-effective way, you need a labour relations strategy that identifies and mitigates the risks and obstacles.
How we can help
We have been advising major corporates on labour relations strategy for over 100 years about:
- planning and implementing collective bargaining strategies which align workforces with commercial objectives
- implementing effective strategies to anticipate, avoid, minimise and overcome industrial action and disputes
- negotiating, drafting and interpreting collective agreements and conducting related litigation resolving labour and union disputes.
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Employment Litigation and Investigations
Regardless of whether you have the best workplace and good practices, policies and procedures in place, disputes will still arise.
Read moreEmployment Litigation and Investigations
Be prepared for disputes
Regardless of whether you have the best workplace and good practices, policies and procedures in place, disputes will still arise. When a dispute occurs, you need to be able to effectively present and protect your rights in collective and individual claims and in cases where there are disputes about bargaining.
Helping you resolve disputes
Through innovative dispute resolution strategies and effective case management, we aim to identify and execute the most advantageous solutions through litigation or alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation. Our focus is on getting to know your business and the issues you face so that we can provide you with our expertise and resources in the most efficient and effective way. Our experience includes managing complaints; conducting workplace investigations; representing clients in courts and tribunals in relation to claims such as breach of contract, unfair dismissal, adverse action and workplace bullying and harassment; and advising on internal employee appeals and disputes regarding interpretation of agreements.
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Work Health & Safety and Crisis Management
Workplace health and safety is critical to the success and morale of everyone in the workplace, including workers, customers, visitors and suppliers.
Read moreWork Health & Safety and Crisis Management
Managing risks to health and safety
Workplace health and safety is critical to the success and morale of everyone in the workplace, including workers, customers, visitors and suppliers. It is essential to undertake regular gap analyses, due diligence and compliance audits to review the workplace and put in place suitable policies and compliance programmes, including tailored in-house training.
Extensive experience managing safety incidents
Our team has extensive experience managing major safety incidents and fatalities and advising Boards about their personal liability in this area. Our team is always on call to manage safety incidents; from dealing with the media and regulators to managing investigations and employee wellbeing. We're experienced in developing effective defence strategies in the event of safety prosecutions or claims.
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Executive Remuneration and Mobility
Multinational companies are often confronted with a variety of challenging HR issues and need to navigate the legal and regulatory issues in various jurisdictions regarding executive remuneration and mobility.
Read moreExecutive Remuneration and Mobility
Navigating complex regulations across different countries
Multinational companies are often confronted with a variety of challenging HR issues and need to navigate the legal and regulatory issues in various jurisdictions regarding executive remuneration and mobility.
Global network
Our team has extensive experience dealing with executive recruitment and departures, and the employment aspects of outsourcing, offshoring and corporate transactions. We also have experience advising on strategic through to day-to-day issues, including senior board appointments and terminations and boardroom succession planning, where we work with our Strategic Governance and Advisory team.
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Corporate Transactions and Restructurings
A tough trading environment or the need to focus on cost-effectiveness can lead you to review the size and structure of your workforce.
Read moreCorporate Transactions and Restructurings
Tough decisions
A tough trading environment or the need to focus on cost-effectiveness can lead you to review the size and structure of your workforce. Achieving strategic change objectives while maintaining a motivated workforce can be challenging.
Addressing restructuring challenges
We have extensive experience advising throughout major corporate transactions and restructuring by addressing employment issues that can impact the success of a deal or derail it altogether, including due diligence on existing terms and conditions, resourcing options and implications of business restructuring, legal requirements when making roles redundant, liability for accrued contractual and legislative entitlements, and motivation of remaining employees.
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Workplace Training
Businesses are increasingly focused on upskilling their people to recognise and respond to potential legal issues.
Read moreWorkplace Training
Upskilling your people
Businesses are increasingly focused on upskilling their people to recognise and respond to potential legal issues. An essential part of an effective compliance and risk management program is effective training.
Tailored training
Our workplace training team, comprising practising lawyers, design and deliver client-tailored training to enable your managers and staff to effectively deal with workplace issues. Our client tailored Workplace Training helps you to:
- Generate an understanding of legal issues among your staff to help with early identification of issues
- Motivate and retain staff by investing in their personal development
- Reduce business risk
- Comply with statutory and regulatory requirements
Our Workplace Training programmes include:
- Appropriate workplace behaviours
- Effective workplace investigations
- Managing a major safety incident
- Managing adverse action claims
- Managing ill and injured workers
- Managing whistleblower disclosures
- Managing workplace bullying
- Officer WHS liability and due diligence
- Performance management
- Recruiting and engaging staff
If you would like further information about any of our training courses, please email Julie Mills or your current Ashurst adviser.
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Harassment and Bullying
The implementation of culturally sensitive programmes, policies and training that not only comply with the relevant laws and regulations, but also fit your workplace culture and commercial objectives are crucial.
Read moreHarassment and Bullying
Preventing discrimination, harassment and bullying in your workplace
The implementation of culturally sensitive programmes, policies and training that not only comply with the relevant laws and regulations, but also fit your workplace culture and commercial objectives are crucial.
Increasingly complex and multi-jurisdictional issues
Our team advise on the increasingly complex and multi-jurisdictional issues around diversity, anti-discrimination, bullying and harassment. We also advise on and defend the application of these laws in the provision of goods, services and facilities. Some claims come with significant reputational risk and we have experience in managing the media when advising on highly confidential and sensitive issues. We represent employers and service providers in workplace investigations, mediations and conciliations as well as litigated proceedings to resolve complaints of unequal pay, and all grounds of discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment brought by employees, contractors, clients and the public.
Industrious Conversations: Australian Industrial Relations Developments
As the Closing the Loopholes IR changes are coming into force and being tested, our podcasts explore their practical application to help you succeed in the new IR landscape.
Listen to series
Psychosocial and Psychological Risks in the Workplace Report
Our report identifies eight findings on how businesses manage psychosocial risks, highlighting the significant scope for organisations to seek effective ways to manage the issue.
Read reportWe understand your business
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Legal development 
High Court finds employer liable for employee's psychiatric injury
13 Dec 2024
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Legal development 
The Supreme Court requires providing a prior hearing to the worker before disciplinary dismissal
20 Nov 2024
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Legal development 
Additional Solidarity Quota: an increase in social security costs for the highest salaries from 2025 onwards
18 Nov 2024
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Legal development 
The long-awaited Employment Rights Bill is published –what actions do employers need to take?
11 Oct 2024
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Legal development 
Prevention rather than cure – what are the new sexual harassment duties?
02 Oct 2024
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Legal development
Implications for employers of the recent Supreme Court's fire and rehire decision
17 Sep 2024
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Legal development 
The new right to disconnect for employees: are you ready?
21 Aug 2024
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Legal development 
What will be keeping in-house disputes teams at banks busy in the second half of 2024?
01 Aug 2024
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Legal development
The comparison of the EU CS3D and the German LkSG directives
01 Aug 2024
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Our works, awards & rankings
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News Ashurst advises MEAG on Investment in Data Centre Platform with four Data Centres located in Frankfurt and Zurich
17 Dec 2024
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News Ashurst Advises Aquila Group on Strategic Partnership with Bain Capital to Create a Leading European Data Center Platform
30 Oct 2024
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News Ashurst grows Perth office with hiring of Restructuring and Investigations partners
13 Jun 2024
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News Ashurst advises Commerzbank AG on the acquisition of 74.9% of the shares in Aquila Capital Investmentgesellschaft GmbH
18 Jan 2024
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News Ashurst advises PureHealth on its acquisition of the Circle Health Group
Global law firm Ashurst has advised Pure Health on its acquisition of the Circle Health Group.
18 Jan 2024
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News Ashurst advises ebase (now FNZ Bank) on change of legal form to an SE
13 Dec 2023
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News Organisations are not responding to growing exposure to psychosocial risks in the workplace
11 Dec 2023
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News Ashurst advises Siemens Energy on sale of BIC Business to Triton Funds
24 Oct 2023
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News Ashurst advises insolvency administrator of Dr. Schneider Group on insolvency proceedings and sale to Motherson
31 Jul 2023
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