News

Remote working has become the norm for many businesses. HR Team surveyed a number of employers and employees to see how this affects their mental health and the impacts of working from home. Since the large-scale move to remote working in March 2020 - HR Team looked at some of the key factors for employers to consider in terms of managing their employees productivity, workplace stress and wellbeing while they are working from home. How Do Employees And Employers Feel About Working From Home? The research, commissioned by HR Team, found that all employees surveyed in Ireland want to continue with some form [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

As the Irish Government has outlined its roadmap to re-open the country, many employers are now looking towards the future needs of their business and how best they can plan for their eventual return to work.  The Irish government has listed the following essential control measures that should be implemented in every business. Social distancing (ideally 2 metres). Personal contact of less than 15 minutes. Good Hygiene (increased levels of cleaning surfaces and specifically hand hygiene).   As you may be aware, the government has published a ‘Return to Work Protocol’. This document is a result of collaborative work by [...]

Employers are being urged to mitigate the Covid-19 risks of the planned return to work to avoid further operational downtime. Safe Team lead consultant, Paul McLaughlin, has warned that the reintroduction to working life following the lockdown “needs to be risk assessed, and adequate controls need to be implemented to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 before employees return to a safe working environment, a legal obligation for all employers”. “Organisations that fail to properly plan for the safe return to work, risk contributing to a further outbreak and further delay back to normal operations. There are steps that can easily [...]

 Irish employers are obligated to make Covid-19 updates to their health and safety policies, says a leading health and safety consultant. Employers are being urged to update safety measures, risk assessments and safety statements to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 as some employees prepare to return to work. Workers will gradually start returning to work, with almost 150,000 building workers expected to return this month. Safe Team health and safety consultant, Paul McLaughlin, says that when they do, employers will be responsible for taking steps to protect staff from the spread of coronavirus. He says: “Employers have a general duty to [...]

Employers in both Ireland and the UK have specific duties to ensure the safety, health and welfare of all workers – even when employees are working remotely. The outbreak of Covid-19 and the current campaign of self-isolation to stop it's spread has led to a huge increase in working from home. Employers are required to show the same duty of care for their employees when they are working off premises. This covers the provision of supervision, training, education and the implementation of sufficient control measures to protect the homeworker. The employer has liability for an accident or injury of a [...]

A leading employment law advice specialist is urging employers to take steps to minimise staffing issues related to the increased coronavirus threat in Ireland. Employers are already feeling the impact on international business travel and staff absence, following Northern Ireland’s first diagnosis of a case of Covid-19 in a person who entered the island from Italy via Dublin airport. HR Team Director, Breda Cullen, says her employment law advice firm has experienced a surge in the number of employers seeking advice on the matter. She said: “The coronavirus outbreak has sparked a wave of concern around what rights employees have regarding sick [...]

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 [...]