News
Employers should act to avoid Christmas party sexual harassment claims
Employers should act now to minimise the risk of sexual harassment issues at this year’s Christmas work party, says HR Team Director, Breda Cullen. Ms Cullen is advising employers to ensure employees are made fully aware of the policies and procedures regarding behaviour at the annual Christmas work celebrations. Her followed the Irish Congress of Trade Union's publication of a survey which found 20% of reports of sexual harassment arose from work-related social events. The survey further found Christmas work parties were the most common ‘off-site location’ sexual harassment at work. Ms Cullen told Irish media: “The findings of the [...]
Dublin Employment Law Breakfast Briefing For Employers
Are employee issues hampering the growth of your business or organisation? HR Team invites you to an exclusive complimentary learning event for employers on Friday, December 13, 2019. Our expert HR consultants are delighted to deliver this 'Employment Law' breakfast briefing which will delve into the employee-related issues you face and provide solutions on how to move forward effectively while remaining compliant. What we will cover at the briefing: How to protect your organisation against costly tribunal claims The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act The main elements of a Contract of Employment The importance of an Employee Handbook Unfair Dismissal What [...]
Health and Safety Consultant Wanted
HR Team is seeking a health and safety consultant to join our expanding team of professionals. Position Details Contract Type: Contract for Services (on a Consultancy basis) As a Health and Safety Consultant, you will be responsible for ensuring that client organisations and its employees comply with safety legislation and that safety policies and practices are adopted and adhered to in the workplace. You will be required to complete health and safety evaluations of our client’s premises and a subsequent report. You will be responsible for devising health and safety policies, procedures and statements. Our clients include those in industries [...]
Ryanair holiday ‘mess’ a warning to others
Poor holiday management that directly impinges on an organisation's operations could spell disaster for any business, says Breda Scott of Derry-based human resources and employment law specialists HR Team. "If the right system for managing leave is not in place, the knock on effect can often impact directly on customers or clients and that can be a disaster for any organisation, regardless of size or scale," she said. Her comments come after airline Ryanair cancelled more than 80 flights on Sunday after admitting it had "messed up" the planning of its pilots' holidays. Ryanair said a change to its holiday year [...]
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 [...]
Top tips for TUPE
When a business changes ownership there is a multitude of complexities that the new business owner must deal with. Quite often employment legislation is left to last and this can be a risky strategy as employees are protected under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings, Protection of Employment) legislation. We have witnessed a huge increase in organisations requesting guidance with TUPE year on year. This is partly due to the recognition by smaller organisations that TUPE legislation is not only the preserve of multinational companies. TUPE can apply regardless of the size of the business. Organisations would be best advised to seek professional [...]
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 [...]
How employers can avoid summer holiday headache
Summer has arrived and with it comes the balancing act for employers of addressing a mountain of employee requests for annual leave. In a perfect world everyone could be granted annual leave to soak up the only few days of summer sunshine we’re likely to get. However, in most cases those summer periods when the kids are off school and sun has got its hat on, it’s business as usual for employers. That means that unless there is a mid-summer forced closure period of the organisation, there’s no way that every staff member can take annual leave at the same time. [...]
Minimum wage increase reminder from HR Team
Employers in the Republic of Ireland should adjust pay rates to include the statutory minimum wage increase on January 1, says HR Team Managing Partner Breda Cullen. The statutory minimum wage per hour has increased from €8.65 to €9.15. Ms Cullen said employers must implement the relevant changes in their payroll departments. "It's important that employers are aware of the increase in the minimum wage. We would urge all employers to take the appropriate steps in adjusting the salaries and wages of employees to ensure that they remain compliant with employment legislation and avoid risk.” The national minimum wage (NMW) [...]