Asia employment webinars

This page acts as a library of our past Asia Employment group webinars, where you can catch up with any previous events that you may have missed. Please click each event title to view the webinar on demand.

Non-compete restrictions: Key issues and comparison in Asia?, 23 September 2021

Non-compete clauses can be an important tool for employers to protect their trade secrets and confidential information. However, they are disliked by the courts in many jurisdictions and so must be drafted carefully to have any prospects of enforceability. In this webinar, we will look at the key issues to be considered by employers when drafting non-competes, and compare the legal framework for these provisions in Hong Kong, Singapore and the PRC.

In this webinar, we cover:

• the basic rules in HK, SG and the PRC
• considerations for drafting a valid non-compete clause
• does an employee need to be paid during the non-compete period?
• what are the available remedies for breach?

Bonuses: What employers need to know: Hong Kong, Singapore and the PRC, 4 February 2021

The present bonus season may be tense for a number of organisations; for some the last year will have witnessed good business performance, for others, results will have been disappointing. Wherever you stand, and in all jurisdictions, there are certain legal principles and obligations that need to be taken into account during the bonus assessment process.

Watch our short presentation to discuss the current law on principles of employee bonuses.

Topics discussed include:

• A quick refresh on bonus principles in Hong Kong, Singapore and the PRC
• An update on recent changes and case law developments
• A review of tricky issues and traps for the unwary
• Practical tips for employers when handling the bonus process

Whistleblowing – Compliance, process and stakeholder management, 26 January 2021

All across Asia, whistleblowing complaints are on the rise. In times of economic uncertainty such as the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, corporations and particularly financial institutions often see further increases in the number of claims stemming from whistleblowing complaints. In this session, our panel of speakers discuss all things whistleblowing, and provide practical tips based on experience on how to prepare for and defend such claims.

The speakers begin by providing an overview of the whistleblower protection in place across a number of Asian jurisdictions. They then share and discuss several whistleblowing case studies, including sexual harassment, bullying and other inappropriate conduct of business scenarios. Topics covered include:

• Approaching the investigation – should the investigation be conducted inhouse or using external counsel?
• Internal and external stakeholders – who they are and how should you manage them?
• Tips on dealing with the related employment issues

Employment issues - Working from home - a legal roadmap, 10 November 2020

For many companies, work from home arrangements have proven to work well, and it is expected that such arrangements will become more common in Hong Kong and the PRC even after the pandemic subsides. In the third webinar in our working from home series, we discuss questions which employers may have as working from home becomes the 'new normal', including:

• Can we make working from home a permanent arrangement?
• Do we need a work from home policy?
• Are we responsible for injuries sustained by employees while working from home?
• How can we ensure that our confidential information and other rights are protected?

Watch the full Working from home - a legal roadmap webinar series on demand here.

Contract masterclass 8: The enforceability of covenants, 5 August 2020

In this webinar we look at:

• the enforceability of restrictive covenants in contractual agreements, including employment contracts;
• the judicial and regulatory treatment of such clauses;
• key pointers to consider when including such clauses in your contracts; and
• severability of a clause (blue pencil test): the English, Singapore and Hong Kong positions.

Watch the full Contract masterclass webinar series on demand here.

Crisis Management: first 48 hours, 16 July 2020

The first 48 hours after a crisis is a critical period. It is vital for firms to take proactive steps to carefully manage the crisis; a failure to do so could cause serious harm to your organisation and its reputation. This webinar addresses issues including:

• forming the right team to handle the crisis;
• employment-related issues;
• public relations considerations; and
• relevant reporting and disclosure requirements.

Parallel proceedings: Pathways to Solutions - Employment module, 2 June 2020

This session focuses on proceedings that financial institutions are most interested in:

• regulatory action by the Securities and Futures Commission;
• civil claim by a client; and
• tribunal / court proceedings by a former employee.

We explore challenges including reporting to and cooperating with multiple agencies, managing documents, handling witnesses, managing the timing of hearings and the impact of judgments, awards and enforcement notices on related proceedings.

How to conduct interviews for investigations, 21 May 2020

This webinar is available in both English and Mandarin.

Members of our dispute resolution and employment teams discuss:

• Legal and practical issues that arise when planning your interviews
• Tips for conducting the actual interview
• Tricky situations you may encounter and practical advice on how to handle them

Quarterly Asia Employment Law Update: Navigating the legal, ER and reputational risks of COVID-19, 28 April 2020

The economic impact of COVID-19 continues to cause concern and many employers are being forced to look into cost-saving measures. In this session, our speakers look at the various HR-related steps that employers in Hong Kong, mainland China and Singapore have considered in response to downturns in business and negative forecasts; including furloughing, pay freezes, reduced working hours and redundancies. The talk will cover the impact of employer support measures in Hong Kong and Singapore.

We also provide legal and practical guidance on how employers may navigate to manage the related legal, ER and reputational risks.

COVID-19: Legal and Practical Considerations arising from the Novel Coronavirus Outbreak, 24 Feb 2020

Since the initial outbreak linked to a market in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the spread and threat of the recently named COVID-19 has had a global impact and especially so in mainland China and surrounding Asian nations.

Russell Lamb, Matthew Durham and Marcus Teo review the HR and personnel related legal issues and practical considerations arising from the current situation. This session covers managing risk, government requirements for employers, alternative work arrangements, health-screening, leave and payments. The talk also considers the implications of cost or staff reductions and identify, in particular, special protection categories and reputational risk.