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

HR in Healthcare – 1. Recruitment Process and the Duty of Due Diligence

10 September 2025

In the Netherlands, nearly 1.7 million people work in healthcare. And yet, there is still a significant staff shortage. These shortages present new challenges for executives and HR professionals. In practice, we see this sometimes leading to the recruitment of healthcare employees who ultimately turn out not to be well-suited for the sector. In this blog series, we will address a variety of employment law issues that may arise, from recruitment through to the termination of employment.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Accrual of Vacation During Long-Term Illness: What Employers Need to Know

9 September 2025

Does an employee continue to accrue vacation even after two years of illness? The answer is yes, and this has important implications for employers.

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Employment, Employee Participation & Mediation

Employee Participation in Healthcare – From Formal Obligation to Effective Dialogue!

4 September 2025

Recently, the Innovation and Advisory Committee (IAC) of the Governance Committee for Healthcare published the report “Participation and Co-Determination in Healthcare: Towards Innovative Forms of (Co-)Decision-Making?''  The report makes clear that within the healthcare sector there is a need for more flexible, tailor-made, and integrated approaches to organizing participation and co-determination. Based on this report, Renate Vink-Dijkstra, together with Mirella Minkman, Michiel van Berckel Smit, and Daniel Waarsenburg, authored an article for the journal Goed Bestuur en Toezicht (Good Governance and Supervision). The central question addressed is how to ensure that participation is not merely a statutory obligation, but also a source of improved decision-making and genuine engagement.

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