HR law

Just what are human resources? The short answer is: your employees. But they are much, much more. Your employees are your company’s most dynamic asset, and, probably, your biggest expense; in fact, they are one of the few investments that can actually drive the top line. Let’s face it, facilities and operational assets don’t create new products, make sales, or find new customers. Only your people can do that. So, no matter how you look at it, your human resources are the key to your company’s success or failure. Which is why every aspect of your company’s human resources-related legal concerns must be carefully managed and monitored. The question is: do you have the means to handle the myriad HR legal questions and concerns that arise on a day-to-day basis? After all, the provisions of EU law reach into every corner of a company’s operation and affects employment issues at many levels—from working conditions and redundancy, to training and equal rights. Not only that, but EU companies operating in North America, Asia, and points beyond are affected by the legislative customs of different countries and different jurisdictions, all of them sporting their own unique approach to HR law. Again, that means yet another assortment of directives with which you must be familiar.

If this is your situation:

• You are about to set up a subsidiary operation in Belgium and you want to want your new business enterprise to be run by Belgian nationals. However, you need help in setting up a structure that complies with all the relevant social security and labour law requirements (agency registrations and employment-related documents).
• You want your company’s current employment law structure (e.g., compulsory affiliations, social documents, etc.), to be properly structured and registered with the appropriate agencies; plus you need advice on drawing up employment documents.
• You need to deal with individual dismissals and collective redundancies, but are unsure of which legal procedures and protocols to employ. You need external counsel.
• You require help in drafting a wide variety of contracts (e.g. local contracts, secondment contracts, global employment contracts, consultancy agreements, etc.) as well as policy documents (e.g., company car policies, stock option plans, IT policies, etc), and would like outside help.
• You have recently expanded your workforce and find you need assistance in handling payroll issues (e.g. overtime, holiday pay, etc.), so that you can be in compliance with the rules governing companies over a certain size.

How PwC can help you

At PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) our experienced professionals can provide creative and innovative solutions to all your HR law problems. We will put at your disposal all our knowledge and understanding of national and international social security law, employment law, immigration law, and personal tax. For instance we can help you find ways to optimise your company’s remuneration packages and provide advice on all aspects of social security coverage. And, in addition to providing counsel on such thorny issues as termination and the restructuring of companies, we can also assist you in end-of-career planning and the termination of labour contracts (collective and individual dismissal procedures). And, should you need it, we can provide guidance in complex, technical areas such as HR law audits, plant closures, transfers of undertakings, etc. Immigration services, too, are part of our practice, and—in collaboration with our international network—we can help you with a wide range of expatriate issues, including family members, work permits, professional cards, residence permits and related issues such as driving licences. In fact, in the domain of HR law there is no issue or area in which we can’t provide assistance and counsel. Let us show you how.