IEL Elite

Overview

The employment department at AS & Associates is led by Ferdausur Rahman in Dhaka, and is regularly appointed by leading foreign firms to assist with issues in Bangladesh.

Notably, the group comprises a number of former in-house counsel, enabling it to provide an added level of insight into strategic business considerations.

Specialisms

The team offers advice across the full spectrum of workforce issues, from day-to-day HR concerns through to one-off matters. It also offers expertise in expatriation and immigration.

In particular, the team is able to support clients with legal audits and related training. This includes assistance with disciplinary processes for major international organisations, including fact-finding, as well as whistleblower claims, and investigations with significant criminal ramifications.

Its status as a go-to for international firms was evidenced in its instruction by international powerhouse Littler to assist with regular updates on local legislation impacting workforces in Bangladesh.

The team’s understanding of global considerations was also demonstrated in its advice to Mott Macdonald on the expansion of its services in Bangladesh. A team led by Rahman assisted with an audit and revamp of HR processes to balance compliance of local legislation with the client’s global policies.

The team is frequently sought after to advise on alternative staffing arrangements, including outsourcing and employers of record (EORs). For example, the team advised EOR Omnipresent on its establishment in Bangladesh and how legislation relating to employee benefits might apply to it.

The department also assisted international outsourcing company Globalization Partners with its expansion into Bangladesh, including obtaining requisite licences and drafting documentation to establish employment practices. 

The firm’s support in dispute resolution encompasses both employer- and employee-side work. The team successfully represented a group of medical students in a judicial review to challenge national health service rules, under the argument that the rules allowed for double standards in promotion practices. The team is also able to provide representation in litigation before national courts, as well as mediation services to avoid extremely lengthy court processes.

Share schemes and incentives are a further area of expertise for the team. For example, it assisted Evonik Bangladesh with the introduction of a workers’ profit participatory fund scheme.