Employment

EXPERTISE | Services

Employment issues often require decisions to be taken quickly, but Turkish employment law is highly procedural, particularly when performance, disciplinary action, termination or workforce changes are involved. We advise employers with both the immediate HR issue and the potential consequences of the decision in mind.

Our team works with domestic and multinational employers across the employment relationship, from contracts and policies to sensitive employee matters, restructurings and collective issues. For international businesses, we also assist with the implementation of regional and global HR policies and projects in Turkey.

We represent employers in mandatory mediation and proceedings before the Turkish labour courts as well as advising on non-contentious employment matters. That contentious experience is an important part of how we assess termination and workforce risk.

Employment contracts, consultancy arrangements and employee/independent contractor classification
Employee handbooks, internal regulations, workplace policies and localisation of global HR policies
Working conditions, working time, overtime and leave
Compensation, benefits, bonuses and the employment aspects of equity and share-based incentive arrangements
Performance management, disciplinary procedures and employment-related workplace investigations
Discrimination, harassment, bullying (mobbing) and other workplace conduct issues
Terminations, mutual separations, settlement and release documentation
Restructurings, collective redundancies, workforce reductions, subcontracting, temporary employment arrangements and employment aspects of corporate transactions
Business immigration, work permits, expatriate assignments and related employment and social-security matters
Collective bargaining, trade union relations and occupational health and safety
Workplace privacy and monitoring, confidentiality, restrictive covenants and post-termination obligations
Mandatory employment mediation and representation before the Turkish labour courts

Represented a television broadcaster through a collective bargaining process with a trade union, including challenges to the union’s bargaining authority, statutory mediation, strike contingency planning and negotiation and implementation of the collective bargaining agreement.
Advised a subscription streaming platform on a redundancy programme, including risk assessment, termination documentation, compensation arrangements and mediation agreements with affected employees.
Advised a Turkish pharmaceutical company on employment matters and represents it in termination-related mediation and labour court proceedings.
Advised a German multinational beauty and personal care company on employment contracts, employee relations, termination matters and contentious employment proceedings in Turkey.
Advised an Istanbul-based investment banking firm on disciplinary proceedings and employee termination matters.
Advised a US multinational testing and inspection company on work permit and expatriate employment matters relating to its Turkish operations.