Renée Huijsmans-Zwijnenburg

Renée Huijsmans-Zwijnenburg

Partner & Attorney at law

Employment & Employee Participation

Renée Huijsmans-Zwijnenburg is, as a client once described, straightforward and to the point. This makes her a great fit for De Clercq. In her daily practice, Renée assists executives, legal counsels, and HR with various employment law issues, including individual and collective dismissals, reorganisations, employment conditions, and incapacity for work. Within employment law, she has specialised in cases involving integrity or undesirable behaviour. Social safety is high on her agenda.

"Integrity and addressing undesirable behaviour are fundamental to a safe workplace where everyone feels respected and valued. In my work, I not only look at the legal frameworks but also at the impact on company culture and the practical applicability of measures. Together with entrepreneurs and HR professionals, I seek solutions that truly work and contribute to a culture of trust. And if necessary, I am ready with concrete legal steps to ensure that transgressive behaviour is addressed and integrity is safeguarded."

Education

Renée studied Law at Maastricht University, where she chose Civil Law as her major. In the years that followed, Renée specialised in employment law. She successfully completed the Grotius specialisation course in Employment Law at Radboud University Nijmegen in 2015.

Career

Since 2009, Renée has worked as a lawyer and legal advisor. In 2015, she joined the De Clercq team with considerable practical experience. Within employment law, Renée has specialised in various subfields, such as reorganisations, individual and collective dismissals, and social safety. Additionally, Renée is a supervisor (HR portfolio) at the Stichting Openbaar Primair Onderwijs Oegstgeest and contributes as a board member of the Stichting Vrienden van het Zaans Medisch Centrum to a healthy Zaanstreek.

Daily practice

Within the Labour, Participation & Mediation section, Renée mainly focuses on individual and collective dismissal law. She can also provide excellent advice on matters related to employment contracts, employment conditions, incapacity for work, underperformance, and the employment law aspects of reorganisations. Her passion lies in issues related to social safety. Renée is eager to share her knowledge through publications, training sessions, or workshops. She is regularly invited as a speaker at conferences.

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The latest developments

Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

The WHOA and employee rights

10 July 2025

In our previous HERO blog, we discussed the role of works councils in a WHOA procedure. It became clear that the legislator considers it essential for employee participation to be involved at an early stage of a WHOA process. After all, a WHOA procedure can ultimately have significant consequences for employees. For instance, how are employee rights arising from employment contracts handled? And is it possible to terminate these contracts through a WHOA agreement? In this blog, we will explore these questions in more detail, including a discussion of relevant case law.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

How can employee participation in healthcare be designed to be future-proof?

8 July 2025

In a recent report by the Governance Innovation and Advisory Committee (IAC), titled ‘Employee Participation and Co-Determination in Healthcare: Towards Innovative Forms of Participation?’, healthcare organizations share their experiences with new forms of input, engagement, and decision-making. The conclusion: formal councils are valuable, but no longer always align with today’s complex healthcare organizations.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

“Healthy towards retirement”: extension of RVU levy relief for physically demanding work

13 June 2025

On 28 May 2025, Minister Van Hijum (Social Affairs and Employment) informed the House of Representatives about the implementation f the agreements from the “Healthy towards retirement” accord. This negotiated agreement between the government and representatives of employers and employees was presented on 18 October 2024 and focuses on measures to help workers reach retirement age in good health. A key element is the adjustment and extension of the relief from the final levy on early retirement schemes (RVU). This blog briefly explains what an RVU is and outlines the proposed changes.

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