News
Can you send an employee home for having a hangover?
As St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year, your employees may be hungover or drunk at work. The St. Patrick’s Day parades are cancelled, but staff may still be worse for wear the following morning. What are your rights when dealing with this matter? Problems with workplace hangovers Lower productivity. Reduced workplace morale. Customer service is of a lower standard. Co-ordination, attention span and reaction speed is slowed. Employee suspension or termination. How do you manage an employee that is over the limit at work? HR Team Director, Breda Cullen, says: “It is recommended to have a witness [...]
Managing bereavement leave in the workplace
When tech giant Facebook announced a doubling of its bereavement leave allowance for staff, it brought into focus what can often be a grey area for employers. Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, who lost her husband in 2015, said the company's change in policy was driven by a need for "public policies that make it easier for people to care for their children and aging parents and for families to mourn and heal after loss." Sadly, most people will experience the loss of a loved one at some stage in their career, meaning that as an employee they will [...]
Paternity Leave In Ireland And What It Means For Employers
Paternity leave in Ireland is no longer a courtesy extended at the discretion of employers following the enactment of new laws today. Starting from today employers in Ireland can expect applications from fathers in both heterosexual or same-sex relationships for two weeks’ paternity leave following the introduction of The Paternity Leave and Benefit Act 2016. That means that all employers should have paternity policies and procedures in place to ensure employment law compliance. It’s important for employers to have all the answers to potential questions employees may pose by ensuring that policies and procedures on paternity leave are fully up to date and clearly [...]
Sick of the sick note – employers need not despair
By Miss Performance If I had a penny for each time an employer sighs at the arrival of a sick note, I’d be living in a palace and bathing in milk. Unfortunately I’m still in our Derry-Londonderry office hammering on the keyboard with no more than a glass of stale milk and a cup of cooling coffee - but hey, that’s no cause for despair. Equally employers need not despair when faced with cases of long term absence as there are many steps they can take to solve their issue with minimum risk. The sick note is a fact of [...]