On-call duty, standby duty, etc., often give rise to a discussion as to whether or not a certain part of this time can be considered ‘working hours’. After all, this is important when you need to know whether to pay wages. It may also lead to the maximum limits on working time being exceeded, for which overtime and/or compensatory rest may be due. Recently, the Court of Justice provided more clarity on employees in a ‘deserted’ or ‘difficult to reach workplace’. Or how an almost unreachable idyllic Slovenian mountain landscape shapes the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

A pandemic such as a coronavirus (COVID-19) has a significant impact on our professional lives. We, therefore, answer some pressing questions. How to fight the virus in the workplace? What to do if a colleague becomes infected? What if I am infected myself? Do I still have to come to work? Am I entitled to my regular wages?

A company gets sold, in full or in part. That invariably makes employees nervous. Fortunately, there is no need to panic: the new bosses must fully respect existing employment contracts.

The King can relinquish his claim to the throne. But can his subjects also waive their rights as employees vis-à-vis their employer? Could employees waive, for example, their rights to wages, a thirteenth-month bonus, bank holiday pay, holiday money, severance pay ... if they did not wish to receive this?

It can happen that an employer wants to change the function of an employee. If there is mutual agreement, this is, of course, perfectly possible. From a strictly legal point of view, an addendum does not even need to be drawn up. However, it is advisable to do this so that both parties know where they stand.

A cashier makes an error and a customer is incorrectly given a 100 Euro discount. An operator accidentally drains a toxic product into the canal. A market analyst loses a huge sum of money for his employer due to an incorrect market forecast. These are all real situations. But who should take responsibility for this damage?

Employers sometimes have no alternative but to impose a sanction on an employee. But in order to sanction an employee, an employer must comply with several basic rules. Employers who fail to do so risk having their imposed sanction declared invalid by the courts.