News
Willy-nilly rejection of remote working requests will see flood of tribunal cases
Leading HR advisor says employers are anticipating a flood of employment law cases resulting from 'willy-nilly' rejection of remote working requests by employers. Martina McAuley, Director at HR Team, said employers who are not adequately prepared to deal with remote working requests - even post Covid-19 – run the risk of serious financial penalties. Unfair Dismissal Following The Refusal Of A Remote Working Request Ms McAuley made the comments after the Workplace Relations Commission ordered an employer to compensate a worker for unfair dismissal following the refusal of a request for remote working. Ms McAuley said: “Case law now exists [...]
Remote working law will boost staff retention and motivation says HR expert
A leading HR specialist says laws giving employees the right to request permanent remote working will improve staff retention and motivation. HR Team Director, Breda Cullen made the comments after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar published Ireland’s first National Remote Work Strategy which aims to make remote working a permanent option after the Covid-19 pandemic. A new legally admissible code of practice on the right to disconnect from work will also be introduced - covering phone calls, emails and switch-off time. However, Ms Cullen said it is important that employers are given clarity on how exactly the legislation will impact employers. Ms [...]
The HR Advisor February 2021
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Employers advised to ‘recommend not mandate’ Covid-19 vaccine
A leading HR consultant is advising Irish employers to recommend Covid-19 vaccination to employees rather than making it mandatory, when a vaccine is rolled out. HR Team Director, Breda Cullen, says the imminent availability of an approved vaccine has raised questions for employers over the legalities in mandating a vaccination for their teams. She says: “At present, there is no employment law surrounding how employers might manage the introduction of a vaccine and whether they can make it mandatory or not for employees. However, in all circumstances it will be important to be clear within internal policies and procedures. “Although [...]
Helping Employees Overcome The 5 Challenges of Lockdown
Many businesses are now having to think on their feet to ensure survival during lockdown and beyond, and HR Team’s experts are on-hand with commercially focused advice on how to make the right decisions. Director, Breda Cullen, says HR Team’s consultants are making a number of recommendations on how to implement the various options available to employers faced with very difficult decisions at this time. The key employment challenges in lockdown 1. Adhering to the latest government guidelines and restrictions in Ireland 2. Making temporary lay-offs or introducing short-time working 3. Considering redundancies 4. Homeworking Employers have a number of [...]
How to Manage your Annual Leave Backlog
Regardless of the employee’s length of employment or status, everyone is entitled to paid time off, whether they are part-time, fulltime, temporary, or casual workers. How can you manage your employee’s annual leave? The spread of coronavirus has had many impacts on businesses. One of these impacts being the accumulated amount of annual leave for employees. An employee accrues annual leave for any hours worked. If an employee has been laid off, they do not accumulate it during this period. Please note, employees accrue public holiday entitlements the first 13 weeks on layoff. A part-time employee will only qualify for [...]
The HR Advisor November 2020
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Employers who fail to ‘protect vulnerable staff’ risk of legal backlash
As the rise in cases continues to increase amid the ‘second employers are faced with an obligation to protect their staff, particularly those vulnerable to Covid-19. Employers who fail to meet their legal obligations to protect staff could find themselves in breach of legislation and facing enforcement action, says a Safe Team Health and Safety Consultant. They said it is important that employers implement strategies to protect these workers – particularly those defined as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’. The consultant said: “Employers have a legal duty to protect workers from harm. They should make sure to consider the risk to workers [...]
Lay-offs imminent as employers face new lockdowns
In light of the fresh lockdowns imposed in Dublin and Donegal, and with many other counties on the verge of following suit, a leading HR adviser says many employers will be forced to make temporary lay-offs and even redundancies. HR Team Director, Breda Cullen, said: “Many businesses are now having to think on their feet to ensuring they survive through these ongoing turbulent times. “Employers are having to consider repeat lay-offs while others are facing the prospect of redundancies, particularly in the hospitality industry. In other sectors, businesses are returning to a working from home arrangement, which comes with its [...]
Return to work protocols for Irish businesses
As we approach the fourth and final phase of the lockdown many more businesses will be reopening. But how much responsibility do employers hold? For businesses that have already reopened, the new ‘normal’ is very different. New return to work protocols and practices such as regular cleaning, physical distancing and, if necessary, the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be implemented. What are the mandatory and recommended workplace measures? Face masks in the workplace The use and supply of face masks in the workplace is not a mandatory measure. However, it’s important to assess your own workplace with measures [...]