Labor & Employment Law

From negotiating high-stake settlements to managing employee complaints, businesses face numerous challenges on regular basis. Drawing on decades of experience and our commercial and strategic expertise, we guide our clients on legal implications of employment related issues in a clear and concise manner and help them resolve sensitive disputes confidentially and amicably. Our employment lawyers act for a broad range of clients including entrepreneurial start-ups, well-established public and private companies, and MNCs as well as represent senior executives and board of directors, partners, HNIs and high-profile public figures. We advise on all workplace policies and practices, employment agreements, data privacy, termination procedures, regulatory compliances and are well-versed in handling myriads of employment related issues that arise during an M&A transaction.

Outlined below are the key labor & employment areas that our team handles:

For Employers

• Onboarding Employees: We provide end-to-end legal support with employee onboarding, ensuring seamless integration of new hires into your organization and full legal compliance. We assist in drafting and reviewing employee contracts tailored to your needs, creating comprehensive training modules, handbooks, and checklists that promote smooth transition of employees & reduce compliance risks.
• Claims & Dispute Resolution: We assist corporates in defending claims related to workplace discrimination and sexual harassment. Our approach encompasses thorough investigations, building a stronger defense and representing clients before the courts or tribunals.
• Workplace Compliance & Grievance Management: We guide clients in handling employee grievances and implementing disciplinary procedures effectively. We also advise on workplace disability issues ensuring compliance with the applicable law and inclusive workplace policies.
• Workforce Management: Our experienced employment lawyers help clients structure the severance arrangements and settlement agreements tailored to the needs of clients’ business. We also assist with handling large-scale reorganizations and redundancy processes while ensuring legal compliance and minimum disruption.
• Termination and Offboarding Process: We provide holistic support with termination and offboarding process including drafting legally compliant termination letters, conducting exit interviews, negotiating settlements and reducing the risk of post termination claims or disputes.

For Employees

• Reviewing Employment Contracts: We help employees understand the terms of their employment and service agreement prior to accepting the offer. Our review aims to ensure that the terms are fair, legally compliant and aligns with employees’ expectations & interests.
• Negotiating Termination & Settlement Agreement: Our lawyers assist with negotiating the termination and settlement agreement, protecting the rights of the employee and helping them secure favorable terms including severance pay, benefits and non-disparagement clauses.
• Wrongful Termination & Grievance Procedures: We advise executives on managing disciplinary and grievance procedures especially involving unfair dismissal making sure that employees’ rights are protected, and the resolution is just and fair.
• Investigation & Whistleblowing: We advise employees involved in workplace investigation, particularly whistleblowing cases. We guide them about the available legal protection, managing the reporting procedures and ensuring confidentiality is maintained.
• Disputes related to PF, Bonus, Gratuity & Other Benefits: We advise clients on the benefits they are entitled to according to the law and help them resolve any disputes regarding claims of PF, Bonus, Gratuity and other benefits. Our goal is to ensure rightful entitlements for our clients that align with the regulations.
• Workplace Misconduct: We help clients with filing complaints, handling investigation process and represent them before the courts in matters relating to bullying, sexual harassment or any form of misconduct at the workplace.
• Maternity & Paternity Benefits: We advise clients on claiming their maternity, paternity and other pregnancy related benefits in accordance with law and regulations.

Labor & Employment Audit:

Employment audit is an important tool for proactive and effective human resource management. Through our HR Audit we help clients align their policies and practices as per the labor laws in India while fostering an efficient working environment. Our HR audit involves review of critical documents and processes such as:

• Recruitment & Onboarding: Examine the job descriptions, offer letter, employment contracts, handbooks, training modules, and orientation program.
• Remuneration and benefits: Review the payment structure, sick and leave policies, flexible working arrangements, and various benefits & schemes being offered to employees.
• Employee Relationships: Assess the policies and systems of performance management, employee communication, and team dynamics.
• Harassment & Discrimination: Evaluate the policies, training programs and guidelines to prevent and address workplace harassment, discrimination and misconduct.
• Data Protection: Review the data protection policies, confidentiality agreements, personnel records, and privacy policy.
• Exit Procedures: Evaluate the process and documentation for exit interviews, termination letters, and character certificates.

Following the thorough audit, our team provides a detailed report summarizing the findings, benchmarking against the industry standards and recommendations on addressing the gaps and enhancing the compliance ensuring our clients have robust HR framework tailored to their business needs and objectives.