Employment in Financial Services
Contributing Editor
In a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, employers in the financial services sector must ensure they are fully compliant with local employment rules and procedures. Helping to mitigate risk, IEL’s guide provides clear answers to the key issues facing employers in the sector
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02. Are there particular pre-screening measures that need to be taken when engaging a financial services employee? Does this vary depending on seniority or type of role? In particular, is there any form of regulator-specified reference that has to be provided by previous employers in the financial services industry?
03. What documents should be put in place when engaging employees within the financial services industry? Are any particular contractual documents required?
04. Do any categories of employee need to have special certification in order to undertake duties for financial services employers? If so, what are the requirements that apply?
05. Do any categories of employee have enhanced responsibilities under the applicable regulatory regime?
06. Is there a register of financial services employees that individuals will need to be listed on to undertake particular business activities? If so, what are the steps required for registration?
07. Are there any specific rules relating to compensation payable to financial services employees in your jurisdiction, including, for example, limits on variable compensation, or provisions for deferral, malus and/or clawback of monies paid to employees?
08. Are there particular training requirements for employees in the financial services sector?
09. Is there a particular code of conduct and/or are there other regulations regarding standards of behaviour that financial services employees are expected to adhere to?
10. Are there any circumstances in which notifications relating to the employee or their conduct will need to be made to local or international regulators?
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11. Are there any particular requirements that employers should implement with respect to the prevention of wrongdoing, for example, related to whistleblowing or the prevention of harassment?
12. Are there any particular rules or protocols that apply when terminating the employment of an employee in the financial services sector, including where a settlement agreement is entered into?
13. Are there any particular rules that apply in relation to the use of post-termination restrictive covenants for employees in the financial services sector?
14. Are non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) potentially lawful in your jurisdiction? If so, must they follow any particular form or rules?
11. Are there any particular requirements that employers should implement with respect to the prevention of wrongdoing, for example, related to whistleblowing or the prevention of harassment?
11. Are there any particular requirements that employers should implement with respect to the prevention of wrongdoing, for example, related to whistleblowing or the prevention of harassment?
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Belgium
Belgium
- at Van Olmen & Wynant
EU Directive 2019/1937 on whistleblowing has been transposed in Belgium by the Act of 28 November 2022. Financial services are included in its material scope (article 2, 1°, b)). In general, companies with more than 250 employees had to create an internal whistleblowing system by 15 February 2023. For companies with between 50 and 250 employees, the deadline was 17 December 2023. However, these thresholds do not count for legal entities who are active in financial services, therefore they needed to install an internal whistleblowing system no matter their employee count and respect the deadline of 15 February 2023 (article 57, §3). The FSMA will have to verify whether the financial institutions are respecting their whistleblowing obligations (article 36). Furthermore, persons who report violations relating to financial services receive better protection and are awarded higher lump sum compensation if they are the victim of a retaliation measure (six months gross remuneration; article 27, §3).
Regarding the prevention of money laundering, financial institutions were already required to provide a procedure to enable their personnel, agents or distributors to report a violation of the legislation, through a specific, independent and anonymous channel (article 10, Act of 18 September 2017).
The employer must ensure the wellbeing of its employees, which includes the prevention of harassment. If harassment has occurred, they must provide appropriate support, including remediating measures, protection against dismissal and investigation by a prevention advisor specialising in psychosocial risks (Wellbeing Act of 4 August 1996, Wellbeing Code of 28 April 2017). The procedure must be detailed in the work rules of the financial institutions.
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Brazil
Brazil
- at Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
- at Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
- at Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
- at Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
No specific law determines what employers should implement to prevent wrongdoing. However, implementing reporting channels and policies to prevent and combat harassment is based on general corporate governance rules.
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France
France
- at DS Avocats
Financial services companies, like any private employer, must implement procedures to prevent wrongdoing.
Concerning harassment, the Labour and the Penal Codes punish acts constituting moral and sexual harassment. It is the employer's responsibility, under their safety obligation, to prevent and, if necessary, deal with any behaviour constituting moral harassment. In this respect, an individual must be appointed by the social and economic committee to combat sexual harassment and sexist behaviour.
For whistleblowing, following Directive 2019/1937/EU, the system for whistleblowers that already existed in France was strengthened by Law 2022-401 of 21 March 2022 on the protection of whistleblowers. From now on, companies with more than 50 employees must internally set up a procedure for collecting and handling whistleblowers. Without an internal procedure, the whistleblower can go through an external channel, which presents a risk to the company's reputation.
In addition, following Law 2022-401, the FMA and the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority have set up special procedures allowing any person to report to them, even anonymously, any infringement of European legislation, the Monetary and Financial Code or the AMF General Regulation (articles L. 634-1 to L. 634-4 of the Monetary and Financial Code).
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Germany
Germany
- at Kliemt.HR Lawyers
- at KLIEMT
- at KLIEMT
Employers are generally required under German law, regardless of their industry, to exercise a duty of protection regarding their employees. If they become aware of allegations of employee harassment, the employer must investigate and take appropriate steps to either dispel the suspicion (and protect the employee incorrectly accused of harassment) or sanction the perpetrator. As such, many employers have a process or policy in place governing this.
From July 2023, employers must observe the mandatory regulations of the Whistleblower Protection Act, implementing the EU Whistleblower Directive. This regulation applies automatically to many institutions in the financial sector, and beyond that to others based on their number of employees (starting with a headcount of over 50) or by virtue of belonging to the public sector. In corporate groups, multiple employers can set up a joint office to receive reports and conduct further investigations. Public sector employers must, in principle, establish an internal reporting office regardless of the number of employees. In addition, employees will also have the option to report breaches externally. The purpose of the new legislation is to strengthen the protection of whistleblowers and ensure that they do not face any disadvantages within the framework of the legal requirements – including, inter alia, where the whistleblowing concerns matters such as breaches of European law concerning financial services, financial products and financial markets, as well as the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.
An office at the Federal Ministry of Justice will be established as the governing body for the new law. In addition, the Federal Antitrust Office and BaFin will be responsible for sanctioning certain breaches under their respective remit (antitrust and financial services, respectively).
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Hong Kong
Hong Kong
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism
Financial services employees are required to receive training on anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism. New staff should be required to attend initial training as soon as possible after being hired or appointed. Apart from the initial training, refresher training should be provided regularly to ensure that staff are reminded of their responsibilities and are kept informed of new developments (see question 8).
Whistleblowing
There is no single comprehensive whistleblowing legislation to protect whistleblowers in Hong Kong. However, piecemeal provisions in various ordinances may protect specific whistleblowers for the reporting of specific offences. For example, the Employment Ordinance provides that an employer shall not terminate (or threaten to terminate) the employment of, or in any way discriminate against, an employee because the employee has given evidence or information in any proceedings or inquiry in connection with the enforcement of the Employment Ordinance, work accidents or breach of work safety legislation.
While it is not legally required, as good practice, employers should consider implementing a whistleblowing policy to set out, among others, the type of incidents that should be reported and the procedures for filing the report.
Workplace harassment
Under the Sex Discrimination Ordinance, Disability Discrimination Ordinance and Race Discrimination Ordinance, any harassment in the workplace based on sex, pregnancy, disability and race (which includes colour, descent, ethnic or national origins) is unlawful.
As employers are vicariously liable for the wrongful acts of their employees (whether or not the act was done with the employer’s knowledge or approval), one of the statutory defences is for employers to establish that they took “reasonably practicable steps” to prevent the wrongful act in the workplace. Employers should therefore put in place anti-harassment policies and procedures to prevent harassment from happening in the workplace and to provide complaint or reporting procedures to handle such incidents.
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India
India
- at AZB & Partners
Corporate whistleblowing is still at a nascent stage in India and there isn’t a robust legislative framework for it. Section 177[1] of the Companies Act 2013, clause 49 on “Corporate Governance” of the Listing Agreement between a listed entity and a stock exchange and the guidelines issued by RBI under Section 35(A) of the Banking Regulation Act 1949 [2] constitute the corpus of early whistleblower jurisprudence in India. Publicly listed financial services companies are required to have whistleblowing policies.
In terms of generally applicable laws, the IDA lists “Unfair Labor Practices” that the employer is prohibited from engaging in. There are certain state-specific laws which reiterate the same. There might also be sector-specific initiatives. One such example is the “Protected Disclosures Scheme for Private Sector and Foreign Banks” by the RBI, which cover areas such as corruption, criminal offences, non-compliance with rules, misuse of office, suspected or actual fraud causing financial and reputational loss and detriment to the public interest.
When it comes to the prevention of harassment, the general statutes are also applicable to financial sector organisations. Employers are required to comply with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redress) Act, 2013, by taking reasonable steps to assist affected women workers. If harassment is coupled with any other issue like caste-based discrimination, then employees may register complaints through well-established civil or criminal redress mechanisms in the legal system.
[1] Section 177, Companies Act 2013, available at <https://ca2013.com/177-audit-committee/>
[2]Section 35A, Banking Regulation Act 1949, available at <https://indiankanoon.org/doc/587034/#:~:text=it%20is%20necessary%20to%20issue,to%20comply%20with%20such%20directions>
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Ireland
Ireland
- at Maples Group
- at Maples Group
Yes. Concerning the prevention of wrongdoing, RFSPs should implement a written protected disclosures/whistleblowing policy that explains the secure and confidential internal and external reporting channels available to workers who wish to report relevant wrongdoings. The anti-retaliation protection should be explained and workers should understand from the policy how a report of relevant wrongdoing will be dealt with by the RFSP.
RFSPs should ensure that they have clear, up-to-date and fully compliant policies governing:
- dignity at work (including anti-harassment and anti-bullying measures); and
- grievance and disciplinary policies.
RFSPs should ensure that employees are trained on the RFSP's dignity at work (anti-bullying and harassment) policies to ensure that the RFSP's values, culture and commitment to preventing harassment and bullying are clear regarding their rights and obligations.
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Isle of Man
Isle of Man
- at Cains
- at Cains
- at Cains
- at Cains
Yes, from 1 January 2017 financial institutions must have an internal whistleblowing policy in place. Financial services employees are encouraged to first raise issues with their employer. However, employees may also raise serious concerns with the IoM FSA if they remain unsatisfied at the end of the employer’s process.
Under employment legislation, if an employee is dismissed because they have made a “protected disclosure” (ie, blown the whistle), that dismissal is automatically unfair. Compensatory damages for whistleblowing are uncapped in the Isle of Man Employment and Equality Tribunal.
While there is no sector-specific guidance on harassment in the workplace, all employers have a legal duty to ensure that employees are not harassed at work (this would extend to bullying and being subjected to discrimination). Failure to have and enforce appropriate policies on bullying and harassment is likely to impair any defence that the employer may raise to a legal claim because it will not be able to show that it took “all reasonable steps” to prevent such acts.
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Mexico
Mexico
- at Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo
In addition to the obligations previously described, employers and employees are subject to Official Mexican Rule NOM-035-STPS-2018 Employment Psychological Risks – Identification, Analysis and Prevention.
The purpose of NOM-035 is to establish the criteria to identify, analyse and prevent psychosocial risks; and to promote a favourable organisational environment in the workplace.
NOM-035 establishes specific obligations for employers, including:
- informing employees about policies to prevent psychosocial risk factors and labour violence, and promoting a favourable organisational environment;
- identifying and analysing factors of psychosocial risk;
- assessing the organisational environment;
- adopting measures to prevent psychosocial risk and promote a favourable organisational environment;
- adopting corrective actions when identifying psychosocial risk factors;
- identifying workers that could have been exposed to traumatic events and providing help; and
- keeping records of the analysis and identification of psychosocial risks, evaluations of the organisational environment, and corrective action.
To prove compliance, employers must adopt the following measures:
- develop a psychosocial risk policy;
- establish a complaints channel to receive and deal with reports of possible practices preventing a favourable organizational environment and report acts of workplace violence;
- conduct surveys to identify employees that have been exposed to psychosocial risks;
- conduct surveys to identify psychosocial risk factors and potential threats to the organisational environment; and
- create intervention programmes with specific actions based on the results obtained.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare is the authority that inspects compliance with these obligations. NOM-035 does not establish specific sanctions for non-compliance, but inspectors may apply fines derived from the FLL. Also, employers must regularly carry out evaluations, research and follow-up on complaints. They must also prepare regular reports on the subject.
These provisions apply to all employers and there are no particular provisions regarding the prevention of harassment in financial entities.
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Netherlands
Netherlands
- at Lexence
Financial services companies must create a safe and healthy work environment. Furthermore, financial services sector companies have a statutory responsibility to protect consumers from unethical, unprofessional and negligent behaviour and services. In this regard, it is advisable (and common) to implement an internal code of conduct.
Under Dutch law, financial services companies must set up an internal reporting procedure (with specific requirements) where suspected misconduct can be reported.
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Singapore
Singapore
- at TSMP Law Corporation
- at TSMP Law Corporation
- at TSMP Law Corporation
- at TSMP Law Corporation
MAS’ Guidelines on Individual Accountability and Conduct provide that appropriate policies, systems and processes should be put in place to enforce expected conduct, including transparent investigation and disciplinary procedures, formal whistleblowing programmes, and a process for the reporting and escalation of issues to senior management on any issues related to employee conduct. Anti-workplace discrimination legislation is also expected in 2024.
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Switzerland
Switzerland
- at Walder Wyss
- at Walder Wyss
- at Walder Wyss
There are no specific whistleblowing laws in Switzerland, but employees have a right to report grievances and misconduct to their employer, provided that they do not commit a breach of a fiduciary duty or cause damage (eg, malicious false reports).
However, employees must also report material facts or incidents of misconduct and the misconduct of other employees discovered in the course of their work to their employer under the employee's duty of loyalty.
On the other hand, an employee’s duty of loyalty and, in particular, an employee’s statutory duty of confidentiality flowing from it may also give rise to a duty to not report.
Based on the current legal situation, there may be a conflict between an employee’s need to report grievances (internally or externally) and a possible duty to not report with regard to an external report. An attempt to resolve this conflict through legislation has failed, and a new attempt to introduce whistleblowing legislation in Switzerland is not expected anytime soon.
Concerning whistleblowing by employees to a public authority or even to the public, employees are regularly prevented from doing so by confidentiality obligations under criminal law. Any justification for such a disclosure will usually only be examined in the context of a criminal investigation against the employee.
However, larger companies have taken measures and set up certain processes to uncover and prevent wrongdoing without having to do so under mandatory laws. For instance, companies have implemented internal or external reporting offices.
When it comes to harassment, an employer is explicitly required to protect employees from sexual harassment (prevention) and to protect any victims from further disadvantages (active protection). According to the Gender Equality Act, victims of sexual harassment may be awarded compensation of up to six months' wages by the courts, in addition to damages and restitution, unless the employer can prove that they have "taken all measures that are necessary and appropriate according to experience to prevent sexual harassment and that they can reasonably be expected to take”. Employers are therefore advised to actively address the issue of sexual harassment (as well as general discrimination and bullying) in the workplace and include it in their regulations or directives.
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UAE
UAE
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Whistleblowing
In the DIFC, whistleblowing is addressed both by the DFSA, who introduced its regulatory regime for whistleblowing in 2022 through amendment to its Regulatory Law 2004, as well as the more general obligations contained in the Operating Law of the DIFC Authority.
Under the Regulatory Law, any person who makes a qualifying disclosure to a specified person is entitled to protection under the law. Similar provisions are contained in the Operating Law.
The disclosure may be made internally within the company, for example, to a director, officer or any person in a management position of the relevant company, or any person designated by that company to receive the disclosure of such information; or externally, for example, to the Registrar, Financial Services Regulator, Office of Data Protection, or criminal law enforcement agency in the UAE.
The qualifying disclosure must relate to the disclosure of information made in good faith, that relates to a reasonable suspicion that a regulated entity, or any of its employees or officers, has or may have, contravened a provision of legislation administered by the DFSA, or has engaged in money laundering, fraud, or other financial crime.
A person making a protected disclosure shall not be subject to any civil or contractual liability for making the disclosure, nor shall they be dismissed or otherwise suffer a detriment or disadvantage in connection with making the disclosure.
The corresponding DFSA module sets out the DFSA’s expectations that companies should implement appropriate written policies in order to facilitate the reporting of any regulatory concerns by whistleblowers, and to assess, and, where appropriate, escalate regulatory concerns reported to it.
The ADGM published Guiding Principles on Whistleblowing in December 2022, which whilst non-binding, were designed to assist entities and individuals in the ADGM in establishing whistleblowing frameworks and ensure that potential whistleblowers were encouraged to speak up and were fairly treated when they did so. In March 2024, the ADGM announced a public consultation on proposals for a whistleblowing framework, which will lead to the introduction of Whistleblower Protections Regulations and amendments to the Employment Regulations.
Harassment
Harassment is not dealt with in the regulatory framework outlined above, but is contained in the applicable employment legislation.
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United Kingdom
United Kingdom
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Whistleblowing
In addition to the requirements of the SM&CR outlined above which relate to the prevention of wrongdoing (including the Conduct Rules, fitness and propriety assessments, Senior Managers’ Duty of Responsibility, the certification and approvals processes and associated training requirements), the PRA and the FCA maintain rules on whistleblowing. These are intended to encourage whistleblowers to come forward to report wrongdoing and protect them from retaliation when they do.
For certain types of SM&CR firms, the rules mandate measures that employers must implement, for others they provide guidance on measures to consider.
The key measures are as follows:
- Whistleblowers’ champion – a non-executive director and senior manager with responsibility for whistleblowing compliance within the firm, including oversight of internal policies and procedures and certain reporting requirements.
- Whistleblowing channel – a system which allows whistleblowers to report concerns confidentially and anonymously, and which allows such concerns to be assessed, addressed, and escalated where appropriate.
- Notification regarding external whistleblowing channels – that is, making staff aware of their right to report matters directly to the PRA and FCA and explaining how they can do so.
- Whistleblowing training – this must cover arrangements on whistleblowing within the firm and be provided (and tailored) to employees based in the UK, their managers, and employees responsible for operating the firm’s whistleblowing arrangements.
Prevention of harassment
Harassment and related unacceptable workplace behaviours (such as bullying and discrimination) are not specifically addressed in the SM&CR rules on individual accountability. However, it is clear from regulators’ public statements that the culture of firms (in its broadest sense) is central to their approach. Having a healthy firm culture is seen as critical to consumer protection and well-functioning markets, and firms with healthy cultures are considered to be less prone to misconduct.
Firms that are subject to the SM&CR need to be alive to the possibility that instances of harassment and other non-financial misconduct could amount to breaches of the individual accountability regime or trigger certain requirements under it, such as a requirement to investigate, reassess an individual’s fitness and propriety, or notify certain matters to the regulators. The same could apply to any failure by relevant staff to investigate and deal appropriately with allegations of this kind, such as a senior manager who turns a blind eye to reports of sexual harassment or workplace bullying. While there have been relatively few instances of non-financial misconduct resulting in an enforcement action to date, this is likely to become an emerging trend.
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United States
United States
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
- at Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Whistleblowing in the United States is governed by two main statutory sources, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and the Dodd-Frank Act (Dodd-Frank).
SOX protects whistleblowers who report violations of securities laws to:
- federal regulatory bodies or law enforcement;
- members of Congress or congressional committees; or
- supervisors or persons authorised by the employer to investigate, discover, or terminate misconduct.
Dodd-Frank generally only protects whistleblowers who report violations of the securities or commodities laws to the SEC or CFTC. However, it also prohibits employers from discriminating against financial services employees for objecting or refusing to participate in any activity that would be a violation of securities law (note that Dodd-Frank prohibits mandatory arbitration of retaliation claims under the Act).
Whistleblowers in the banking industry are also protected under both federal and applicable state laws for reporting violations of banking law to the US Department of Justice.
Under Dodd-Frank and banking laws, employees may be offered a bounty for whistleblowing activities that results in successful enforcement actions.
Employment Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Claims are not subject to mandatory FINRA arbitration, though the claims may be arbitrated if all parties agree.
Californian employers with at least five employees globally must implement policies and provide training on the prohibition of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in the workplace.
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Contributors
Belgium
Van Olmen & Wynant
Brazil
Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
France
DS Avocats
Germany
Kliemt.HR Lawyers
Hong Kong
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
India
AZB & Partners
Ireland
Maples Group
Isle of Man
Cains
Mexico
Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo
Netherlands
Lexence
Singapore
TSMP Law Corporation
Switzerland
Walder Wyss
UAE
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
United Kingdom
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
United States
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
Contributors
Belgium
Van Olmen & Wynant
Brazil
Tortoro Madureira & Ragazzi Advogados
France
DS Avocats
Germany
Kliemt.HR Lawyers
Hong Kong
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
India
AZB & Partners
Ireland
Maples Group
Isle of Man
Cains
Mexico
Marván, González Graf y González Larrazolo
Netherlands
Lexence
Singapore
TSMP Law Corporation
Switzerland
Walder Wyss
UAE
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
United Kingdom
Morgan Lewis & Bockius
United States
Morgan Lewis & Bockius