ALRUD podcasts. Be Aware and Share

In this series of discussions, we will explore the legal challenges faced by business and, together with experts, analyze significant cases and provide solutions.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact us via podcasts@alrud.com.

Episodes are available on all platforms.

July 20, 2022. Episode №11.

Labour Issues in Corporate Restructurings and M&A

In this episode we share the latest practices with you, offer an insider’s perspective and provide practical solutions for business in matters concerning labour law requirements during corporate restructurings and M&A Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Olga Pimanova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice, and Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice, PhD in Law.

Episode details:

• 01:26 – Employment-related aspects of corporate deals
• 05:24 – Consulting obligations (liaising with a trade union)
• 06:35 – Transferring local business to Russian management due to the current circumstances
• 10:30 – Russian management liability for global business decisions
• 12:10 – Workforce restructuring

July 20, 2022. Episode №10.

Protected categories of employees: special legal status

The Russian law provides for additional support to so-called “protected categories” of employees. The ALRUD team has strong experience on resolving issues with the protected employees, and today we will try to shed more light on this. Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice, PhD in Law, and Maria Nevezhina, Senior Attorney of Labour and Employment Practice, PhD in Law.

Episode details:

• 02:02 – Protected categories of employees: who are they?
• 06:20 – Dismissal of employees with family responsibilities
• 10:02 – Dishonesty and abuse of rights

July 20, 2022. Episode №9.

Migration Issues: From Basics to New Requirements

Migration legislation in Russia is quite complex for our foreign colleagues due to a wide range of laws and procedures. In new episode we will discuss key migration issues. Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice, and Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice, PhD in Law.

Episode details:

• 02:08 – Migration issues: general overview
• 07:25 – Migration during COVID-19
• 09:07 – New and upcoming regulations

July 20, 2022. Episode №8.

Pre-termination restrictions

We will try our best to comprehensively shed light on the legal issues to be considered when implementing pre-termination restrictions and how these mechanisms are figured in the Russian law. Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice, PhD in Law, and Elena Chershintseva, Associate of Labour and Employment Practice.

Episode details:

• 01:45 – Mechanisms of pre-termination restrictions, which are available in Russia
• 04:04 – Safe and effective options to negotiate the employee’s absence at the workplace and limit his access to the company’s IT sources
• 06:00 – Proper formalization is essential

November 11, 2021. Episode №7

Big Data in HR

Digitalization of HR-related processes and activities is increasing rapidly and allows active use of such information as Big Data. Big Data includes enormous amounts of information, that can assist employers to recruit, promote, motivate, reward employees and identify low performers among them. As a result, Big Data of employees, candidates and former employees has become a significant value for employers. Despite these benefits, use of Big Data undoubtedly presents certain issues which the employer should consider. Everybody has heard the recent high-profile case of the dismissal of a large number of employees, based on the Big Data analysis of their activities. That’s why we can`t ignore discussion of Big Data issues in employment context anymore.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel, and Olga Pimanova, Of Counsel.

July 19, 2021. Episode №6

Cross-border incentivizing of employees in Russia: pensions and long-term plans

Incentivizing of employees exerts a strong influence in terms of their strategic impact and can be an effective tool for employers, particularly during times of economic uncertainty. Incentivizing enables employers to retain key talents, implement new skills and behaviors, and drive organizational transformation. The fast-changing employment environment, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, can also inspire the need for changes to the employees’ incentivizing. Now, as organizations have adjusted to a new reality, they have an opportunity to reevaluate their pay plans and introduce some program changes that could help them thrive, within a rapidly changing economic reality. In this episode we will address these issues that are crucial to organizations and discuss the acceptable types of employee motivation and incentive in Russia.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD, and Olga Pimanova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.

July 19, 2021. Episode №5

Labour Dispute Resolution in Russia: Process and Trends

In this episode, we will discuss labour dispute resolution in Russia. We will address process features and key trends in labour litigation. The peculiarity of labour disputes in Russia is that they rarely start with large financial claims of employees. They are more aimed at the company's brand, its reputation, and the like. However, practice shows that, due to the length and formality of the litigation, originally-insignificant financial demands can develop into rather large ones, over time. Another quite sensitive specific of Russian labour litigation is that one of the core demands in dismissal challenging cases is reinstatement at work. This also means compensation for the forced unemployment for the whole period of litigation, in case the court sustains the claim. As such, labour disputes should be treated with the highest degree of care.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD, and Maria Nevezhina, Senior Attorney of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.

July 19, 2021. Episode №4

Hiring individuals without legal presence in Russia

In this episode, we will talk about the most relevant issues and key practical aspects, related to the engagement of independent partners in Russia. Instead of establishing legal entities in Russia, many international companies prefer to engage Russia-based specialists as individual contractors. From the Russian law perspective, such arrangements strongly differ from employment relations and shall be regulated by civil law agreements. Hiring individuals located in Russia, by international companies, which do not have a corporate presence in Russia, may trigger permanent establishment risks, taxation issues, re-qualification of such arrangements into actual employment which, in its turn, may cause further labour law risks. Such arrangements shall also comply with mandatory Russian law requirements to allow the enforceability of terms and conditions, ensure IP rights’ protection and transfers as well as validate personal data transfers and processing outside Russia.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD, and Elena Chershintseva, Associate of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.

July 19, 2021. Episode №3

Internal investigations in Russia

In this episode, we discuss key implications of conducting internal investigations in Russia. Russian law does not specify the procedure of conducting internal investigations. In the meantime, based on the general constitutional provisions, labour and data protection laws, some compulsory formalities shall be accomplished by the initiator of the investigation. Besides, these legislation is very employee-protective and therefore creates a number of limitations for the employers’ conducting internal investigations.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, and Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.

March 5, 2021. Episode №2

Employment solutions for commercial secrecy

In this episode, we will explain how Russian employers can protect their commercial secrets. This topic has become very important, since still many employees continue performing their job duties remotely, due to current pandemic. In such circumstances, the employers’ abilities to keep control over confidential information are limited. Thus, employers have to enhance the legal protection of confidential information.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD, and Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.

February 12, 2021. Episode №1

Teleworking in Russia: digital turn in employment

In this episode, we will talk about the changes in the legal regulation of teleworking from 2021 and the corresponding legal challenges that business may face. This topic is extremely popular in Russia and in other countries, mostly because almost all employers were forced to transfer employees to remote work during 2020 and thus teleworking have been spreading instantly all over the world. We will also touch today upon the issue of digital execution of documents and distant communication between employee and employer.
Speakers: Irina Anyukhina, ALRUD Partner and Head of Labour and Employment Practice, Margarita Egiazarova, Senior Associate of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD, and Anastasia Petrova, Of Counsel of Labour and Employment Practice at ALRUD.