The success of any company or business depends to a large extent on the competence, skills, and work ethic of their employees. However, employees also have access to important confidential business information which they may misuse. Additionally rogue employees can also misuse or damage expensive equipment or are involved in unethical behavior damaging the reputation of the company. Hence to ensure that the employees behave ethically, are aware of the code of conduct for employees, and penalties for misbehavior, every business should hire a competent employment lawyer in Singapore. The lawyer will deal with contentious as well non-contentious employment related issues.
Employment contracts
Most larger businesses will have an employment contract which every employee will have to sign after he has been hired so that he can join the company. The employment contract will usually clearly specify the terms and conditions, like the working hours, holidays, maternity leave, sick leave, and casual leave which is permitted to the employee. Senior employees having access to confidential information may have more stringent contracts which specify penalties to prevent leakage of trade secrets. The employment lawyer will help in drafting the employment contract and advise on repatriation of foreign workers
Trade unions and retrenchment
Often trade unions are formed in companies with a larger number of workers to protect the workers and ensure that they are treated fairly. The trade unions will approach the company management with their demands, negotiating on behalf of the workers. The employment lawyer will advise the management on whether they should recognize the trade union, the legal implications of signing a collective agreement with the trade unions. To adapt to the changing business conditions, companies are transferring employees or retrenching some employees. To prevent legal issues, the company management should consult their employment lawyer before implementing their reorganization.
Confidential information
Employees of almost every organization have access to confidential information and leakage of this information, trade secrets can cause great losses for the business. Hence many companies have implemented contracts to prevent their employees, especially at the senior level from working from competitors for at least a few years, after they have resigned. In some cases, existing employees may be leaking confidential information to competitors if they are rewarded financially in most cases, though in some cases, there may be some other motivation. In all cases, if the losses are significant the business will initiate legal action.
Other issues
To protect the rights of the workers and other employees, Singapore, like other countries, has some guidelines for terminating employees. Unexpected loss of job can cause a financial crisis for the employee, so he can file a wrongful termination case. In some cases, seniors may take advantage of their position of power and harass the other junior employees, especially women. So the company should hire a reliable employment lawyer who will help them formulate a policy for dealing with workplace harassment, especially taking action against the employee who is harassing others at the workplace. If the employees are undisciplined or stealing data, the lawyer will also advise on taking disciplinary action and formulating guidelines for data protection.
