In a notable judgment (Law Ting Pong Secondary School v Chen Wai Wah [2021] CA 873), the Hong Kong Court of Appeal (CA) has adopted the modern approach to penalty clauses handed down in the UK Supreme Court in Cavendish Square Holding BV v Talal El Makdessi [2016] AC 1172. The recent appellate decision has … Read more

Where there is an ongoing investigation into the alleged misconduct of an employee, the employer wish to suspend an employee’s duties until the investigation is concluded. In Lengler Werner v Hong Kong Express Airways Ltd [2021] HKCFI 1333, the Court of First Instance (CFI) clarified the scope of an employer’s right under the Employment Ordinance … Read more

In the recent case of Cosme De Net Company Limited v Lam Kin Ming [2021] HKDC 445, [2021] HKEC 1655, an employee had been engaging in secret business in contravention of his employment terms. Upon discovery of the potential misconduct, an internal investigation was carried out revealing compelling evidence of serious misconduct leading to the … Read more

Like many jurisdictions, Hong Kong has various statutory measures in place to protect injured workers. It can be complex in understanding the scope of various protections and what employers can and cannot do when managing the employment of an ill or injured employee. This Safety Snapshot highlights the key protections and provides practical tips for … Read more

A busy start to 2021 for Hong Kong employers with a number of new changes coming into effect or on the horizon. The Government has recently announced that employers can now seek reimbursement for the additional statutory maternity leave which came into effect in December 2020. From next month, new mothers will also benefit from … Read more

We have seen now different countries rolling out various COVID-19 vaccinations. Employers and employees are keen to see some sort of semblance of how things were or at least a lifting of restrictions, but with such novel vaccines there are many questions that are still unanswered. By now, many Hong Kong employers will have established … Read more

In the recent case of Luk Wing Yan v CMB Wing Lung Bank Ltd [2021] HKCFI 279, the Hong Kong Court of First Instance (the “Court”) found that the defendant bank (the “Bank”) was not liable for losses caused to an investor arising out of investments offered by an employee of the Bank which turned … Read more

Last year was full of the unexpected. In this bulletin, our Hong Kong employment team reflects on some key themes that emerged last year and considers how these will keep Hong Kong employers busy in the year ahead. Read more