Employment & Pensions

• Structuring and project management (where appropriate, in cooperation with Noerr Consulting and any interim management)
• Adjusting and harmonising working and employment conditions
• Optimising the structures of enterprises and their individual business establishments
• Planning strategic restructuring measures (conversion to an SE, optimising processes for employee co-determination in individual establishments or at company level)
• Planning or avoiding transfers of undertakings
• Structuring business transformation processes (change management)
• Dealing with crisis management and crisis communications (in collaboration with an external PR agency, where appropriate)
• Conducting negotiations with works councils/unions (e.g. reconcilement of interests/(collective) social redundancy plans, conciliation boards)
• Representing you in litigation and mass actions

• Drafting compliance rules, e.g. regarding whistleblowers, employee data protection, ethics rules, codes of conduct and ESG compliance
• Carrying out internal investigations
• Ensuring external staff compliance (temporary agency workers, freelancers, consultants)
• Ensuring workplace health and safety compliance 
• Assisting you with social security compliance and company audits
• Ensuring compliance with works constitution law 

For further information see Compliance & Investigations. Compliance And Investigations

• Drafting works and (internal) collective bargaining agreements
• Conducting collective bargaining negotiations with works council/unions (e.g. reconcilement of interests/social redundancy plans/collective social redundancy plans) 
• Representing you in litigation, especially conciliation board and employment court proceedings 
• Changing to a different collective bargaining agreement or rescinding one

• Introducing, adjusting and closing company pension schemes
• Performing risk analyses of existing company pension schemes
• Handling liability cases involving company pensions and disputes
• Analysing and implementing adjustment reviews for pension schemes
• Advising on external funding of company pension schemes (e.g. CTA models) 
• Advising on outsourcing and transferring existing pension commitments, e.g. liquidation insurance policies, special German pension buy-out companies, de-risking vehicles, pension funds
• Transferring and harmonising pension systems in transactions
• Winding up pension schemes in the context of insolvencies  

For further information see Tax and Insurance & Reinsurance. 

• Organising international employee assignments (including preparation and structuring)
• Assisting you with secondments and drafting the related contracts
• Optimising the tax and social security law aspects of contractual relationships 
• Assisting you with work and residence permits 
• Advising on outsourcing and subsidies 
• Advising on entering markets in foreign jurisdictions
• Engaging in cross-border restructuring 

For further information see Tax. 

• Performing employment due diligences
• Drafting contracts for the sale of companies and individual establishments from an employment perspective
• Structuring or avoiding transfers of undertakings
• Adjusting and harmonising working conditions and terms and conditions of employment
• Integrating groups of staff members
• Structuring working conditions and terms and conditions of employment 

For further information see Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions. 

• Designing flexible working models (remote work, part-time work, standard and lifetime working time accounts, sabbaticals, semi-retirement)
• Advising on use of outside staff (structuring, risk management) 
• Developing and implementing flexible/performance-related remuneration systems and short- and long-term plans
• Devising employee stock option plans and shadow share/virtual stock option schemes
• Advising on performance management 

• Advising on and drafting contracts with managing directors and management boards (e.g. variable remuneration systems, non-competes and pension commitments)
• Advising on and drafting contracts with consultants or members of advisory or supervisory boards
• Providing assistance when parting from employees (including outplacements)