Digital transformation and workplace organisation: key HR legal issues

Digital transformation is affecting the workplace in many ways. It is causing businesses to rethink the way they are organised, leading them to implement innovative new working methods and to overhaul reporting structures. It is also allowing them to monitor employee performance in ways which were not previously possible. These workplace organisational changes inevitably give rise to new HR legal challenges.

This webinar will discuss:

• Whether you need to seek employee consent and/or engage with employee representatives when introducing new working structures and reporting lines
• How best to incentivise employees when innovative working practices are being introduced
• How best to manage employee privacy when introducing new IT systems and tools

Speakers

Kathleen Healy
Partner, London

Kathleen Healy’s practice is focused on assisting multinational clients with complex employment law matters. She has detailed experience helping clients to navigate the employment and industrial relations issues arising on acquisitions, disposals and restructurings. She also advises on developing and implementing innovative incentives and remuneration arrangements.

She has a broad advisory and contentious practice, assisting clients in recent years with employment litigation and the employment aspects of highly sensitive investigations. Her team coordinates and executes a wide range of HR projects, including global policy and contract reviews.

She is responsible for the firm's employment practice in Asia, in particular supporting the Hong Kong employment and incentives team.

Christel Cacioppo
Counsel, Paris

Avocat à la cour Christel Cacioppo specialises in all employment aspects of corporate transactions as well as day-to-day issues. She regularly deals with employment-related issues arising in the context of restructurings (in particular social plans), mergers and acquisitions, and more generally on all employment and pension issues for domestic and international clients.

She also advises on employment data protection issues in France and deals with employment-related litigation (individual and collective) as well as social security issues.

She speaks fluent French, English and Italian.

Ulrich Sittard
Counsel, Dusseldorf

Ulrich Sittard specialises in employment restructurings, including voluntary redundancy programmes and negotiations with works councils and trade unions, and M&A matters – in particular for private equity sponsors and corporate clients. He advises clients on HR and employment-related aspects of the digital transformation and the digitisation of the workforce, as well as on the implementation of agile working methods in Germany and internationally. 

In addition, he advises on constitution and occupational pension law, and on general aspects of collective and individual labour law.

He regularly advises clients on collective bargaining and minimum wage law, and has published extensively on employment matters.

He speaks German and English.

Harriet Gaillard
Senior Knowledge Lawyer, London 

Harriet Gaillard is a senior knowledge lawyer in the people and reward group. Before taking on this role in September 2014, she was a senior associate, having joined Freshfields in 2000. She provides technical advice, support and training on employment and benefits matters. She also has broad experience advising on such matters, in both an advisory and transactional context, and has significant experience of cross-border transactions and global investigations.

She regularly produces briefings for clients and gives bespoke client training sessions.