EMPLOYMENT LAW:
THE HUMAN DIMENSION
There is no area of law as relevant to society as employment law. Old values - such as lifetime employability - seem to have been written off, while we are still busy defining new values. This ensures a lively social and political debate. Where is the boundary between private life and business, for example? New technologies are tempting us to redefine this boundary. However, the question is if that really is what we want. Our ideas about work and therefore about employment law are constantly changing.
Rapidly changing landscape
At VDDB, we feel at home in this rapidly changing landscape. We strip every issue down to the core and look for the human dimension. An employment relationship is just like a relationship between two people. It has its ups and downs too. We offer ways to get through those downs. At the same time, we believe that no one should be tied down to someone else. If it’s not working anymore, it must also be possible to end an employment relationship. We’ll be there in that case too and will then ensure that this happens in the right way and under the right terms.
MEDIATION:
WORKING TO A CONSTRUCTIVE COOPERATION
We have seen it often. A party that wins a legal case rarely feels like a winner, as the dispute escalated so much that a third party was necessary to decide what was justified. And that always comes at a cost. Both literally - in the case of court costs - and figuratively. All whilst nobody ever wanted a conflict that would drag on for a long period of time, let alone be confronted with the negative energy this caused.
Retaining the control
At VDDB we therefore believe in the power of mediation. In many cases, this works better than bringing the case to court. The best solutions are reached when parties remain in dialogue despite it all and retain control themselves. We work actively towards a constructive cooperation and see shared interests, even in a serious conflict. That's what we build on. Quick, practical and with a focus on results.
EMPLOYEE AND CLIENT PARTICIPATION:
A LOT TO GAIN FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS
Participation is ensuring that employees or clients can have an input on the issues concerning them within the organisation. That sounds great in theory, but often does not quite work in practice. Some companies or institutions handle the organisation of participation in quite a clumsy manner, due to relative lack of knowledge. Or even worse: parties seem not to trust one another. The latter in particular leads to a return to old standards, where those with the most stripes on their shoulder make decisions and every room for discussion is eliminated.
Support from top to bottom
That is a missed opportunity. Because every director can count themselves lucky if they have employees or clients who speak up on current issues in a constructive way. Just like any board should be pleased to have a director who is open to input. Such an open mind results in decisions that have support from top to bottom in any organization. At VDDB, we therefore are convinced that there’s a lot to gain from good employee and client participation - for all stakeholders involved.
COMMERCE:
MUTUAL TRUST AND CLEAR AGREEMENTS
Mutual trust is the starting point for professional cooperation. With clear agreements forming the foundation. There is nothing as frustrating for entrepreneurs as a cooperation that starts with a flurry of activity that then gets stuck due to unspoken expectations, lack of structure and squabbling about who is to blame.
No legal jargon
That’s why we at VDDB help clients with the legal setup of their organisation, the corporate governance and drawing up contracts. The language we use here is not legal jargon, but customised text in clear language.