On 25 November 2025, Van Olmen & Wynant, in partnership with the Belgian Institute of Company Lawyers (IJE-IBJ) hosted its Employment Forum at De Warande in Brussels, bringing together more than 70 in-house legal counsels, HR specialists, academics and other professionals for an in-depth discussion of the profound reforms reshaping Belgian employment law, one day after the Autumn agreement of the government.
The programme focused on two major pillars of the Arizona government’s labour policy:
(1) the comprehensive reform of the reintegration framework (“Re-integratie 3.0”), and
(2) the upcoming changes to working time, flexibility, and dismissal rules.
The Forum featured guest speaker Dr. Miet Vanhegen, Legal Director at Federgon, alongside Gautier Busschaert (Counsel) and Louise Liang (Associate) of Van Olmen & Wynant.
Dr. Miet Vanhegen opened the event with a detailed analysis of the Belgian government’s plan to fundamentally redesign the system for the prevention and reintegration of long-term sick workers. She outlined the historical context and the increasing policy focus on responsibility-sharing among all actors involved — employers, employees, occupational and treating physicians, sickness funds and regional employment services
Following the re-integration briefing, Gautier Busschaert and Louise Liang presented an overview of the government’s broader labour-law agenda, focusing on the measures that have already been enacted as well as those still in the legislative pipeline, as outlined in a legal proposal for an act on working time provisions (voluntary overtime, night work, minimum working time, cap on notice periods,...).
The Employment Forum concluded with a lively Q&A session in which participants raised practical questions about implementation timelines, anticipated guidance from administrative authorities, and the interaction between the various reform trajectories.
The event demonstrated once again the importance of clear communication, cross-disciplinary collaboration and proactive compliance strategies as the Belgian employment landscape continues to evolve rapidly.
We thank all participants for their engagement and look forward to welcoming our community again at the next edition.
Some photos of the event:
