Andrea Randall and Joni Wong recently contributed the Hong Kong chapter to Legal 500's Employee Incentives 2nd Edition Country Comparative Guide where they explored laws and regulations of Employee Incentives practice in Hong Kong including incentive plans, share options, compensation and legal requirements.
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced last Tuesday, 14 January 2020 that the government intends to increase the number of Hong Kong statutory holidays from 12 to 17 days.
Increasingly, there has been a spotlight on issues and complaints which arise in the workplace. Common issues might include complaints relating to harassment, bullying, discrimination and preferential treatment. When tensions run high, an apology is often valuable in helping to diffuse conflict and amend relationships. However, there is often a general reluctance to apologise for fear that it might constitute an admission of fault which might be used against a party in legal proceedings.
The tax treatment of payments made to employees by employers is dependent on the nature and character of the payments made.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau (the “Bureau”) has recently announced measures to extend the statutory maternity leave in Hong Kong from 10 weeks to 14 weeks.
There has been much commentary (and confusion) in the news and on social media about employees’ absences from work due to and/or in support of the protests. This short article sets out the basic legal principles in respect of protests that are occurring in Hong Kong.
A demotion normally involves a reduction in rank or status, or a decrease in job responsibilities and/or salary. An employer may wish to demote an employee for a variety of reasons including poor performance, capability and/or as an alternative to termination.Regardless of the reason for the demotion, an employer should be careful when demoting an employee. Any demotion should be managed professionally and lawfully; failure to do so may expose the employer to an unwanted claim.
The Secretary for Labour and Welfare has recently announced that the Employment (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 2018, which increases statutory paternity leave to five days, will come into operation on 18 January 2019.
The Labour Tribunal is intended to be a quick and informal venue for hearing disputes between an employer and employee.
The Employment (Amendment) (No. 3) Ordinance 2018 (“Amendment Ordinance”) was gazetted on 2 November 2018. Under the Amendment Ordinance, the statutory paternity leave under the Employment Ordinance Cap. 57 (“EO”) will increase from three days to five days.
