Labour Law Under Pressure: Margarita Egiazarova Moderates Key HR Risk Session at the AHK Personnel Conference

On 17 September 2025, the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce (AHK) held its annual personnel management conference in Moscow. One of the central sessions – the panel discussion “Labour law in the era of instability: risks that are often underestimated” – was moderated by Margarita Egiazarova, PhD in Law, Partner and Head of the Labour Law Practice at ALRUD.

In her opening remarks, Margarita presented an analytical overview of recent trends in Russian case law on employment disputes, emphasising that the role of the employer is increasingly being evaluated through the lens of social responsibility.

“Courts expect not just formal compliance, but well-reasoned and good-faith decisions from employers – especially when it comes to dismissals. We are witnessing a clear shift toward prioritising the employee’s right to work and strengthening the preventive role of judicial enforcement”, noted Margarita

The panel discussion addressed a number of pressing and often overlooked issues: the limits of voluntary participation in corporate events, prospects for flexible employment contracts for freelancers and platform workers, legal pitfalls in working with self-employed individuals and external contractors, as well as the impact of digitalisation and new employee protections on daily HR processes.

The open and practice-oriented discussion encouraged participants to view today’s uncertainty not just as a challenge, but as an opportunity to build more resilient HR strategies.