Employment & Incentives

Employment & Incentives

Our firm understands that employees are the cornerstone of any successful organization and we assist our clients in fostering a compliant and harmonious workplace environment. Our employment practice is meticulously designed to provide clients with comprehensive, current, and pragmatic legal advice across all facets of employment law. Our employment team is dedicated to offering support tailored to each client's unique needs.  

Core Employment Law Solutions 

We assist clients with all employment law matters they may encounter during the normal course of their operations. Our services in this area includes: 

• Employment Contracts and Relevant Documents: We draft, review, and update employment contracts and related documents, including internal policies or procedures, to ensure full compliance with legal requirements and best industry practices.  
• Health and Safety: We support clients in ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations, including drafting workplace code of conduct, grievance procedures, health and safety policies and employee handbooks related to those issues. 
• General Advisory: We advise clients on all aspects of employment law, including legal rules governing wage and hour (such as overtime, minimum wage, and record-keeping requirements), leave policies and return-to-work processes. 
• Training: Our employment team offers training on employment law compliance to ensure that managers and HR professionals are well-informed of their legal obligations. We also conduct training sessions to educate employees on preventing discrimination and harassment, and fostering a respectful and inclusive workplace. 

Employment Dispute Resolution  

Our employment team provides clients with high-quality representation and strategic advice in employment disputes, including wrongful termination, discrimination, and wage-related claims. We also assist clients in establishing effective grievance procedures to resolve workplace conflicts and mediate settlements to avoid costly litigation.  

Workforce Restructuring 

We advise clients on both the legal and practical aspects of workforce reductions, including redundancy procedures, notification requirements, and severance packages, to minimize future disputes and potential risks. Our services include drafting severance agreements, advising on the release of claims, negotiating terms with departing employees, and planning and managing workforce transitions, such as redeployment, retraining, and outplacement services to support affected employees. 

Incentives 

Employee ownership programs and other incentive plans are gaining popularity in Türkiye. Our firm frequently provides legal assistance to both public and private companies regarding these incentive programs. Dr. Kadir Baş, with extensive academic and practical experience in incentive programs, leads our team in this area. Our services include: 

• informing clients about various types of incentive programs (share ownership or stock option plans, phantom share plans, and other profit-sharing-based incentives) and guide them in selecting the most suitable plan based on employment law, corporate law and tax considerations;
• drafting the necessary documents including the selected incentive plan, share transfer or option agreements;
• assisting clients on the effective implementation of incentive plans, including managing the procedures and documentation for issuing or collecting shares to be transferred to relevant employees, and handling the necessary applications to the Capital Markets Board, if necessary; 
• assisting clients in facilitating employee participation in the initial public offering (IPO) of company stocks; 
• advising clients on compliance with tax, employment, and corporate law requirements related to the implementation of the incentive plans.