News
Wellness At Work Will Boost Performance And Productivity
National Workplace Wellbeing Day will take place on April 29, 2022. Building a sustainable, long-term approach to health and wellbeing has never been so important, as the world of work continues to evolve following the Covid-19 crisis. The pandemic highlighted the importance of mental health for employers and employees alike. However, even pre-pandemic research identified that employee mental health problems were costing UK businesses between £33 billion and £42 billion a year, and a huge £100 billion for the economy overall. What Is Employee Wellbeing? Many employers only focus on employees’ health benefits when it comes to employee wellbeing. However, [...]
Neurodiversity In The Workplace
In light of autism acceptance week from March 28 until April 3, HR Team will be discussing neurodiversity in the workplace. What Is Neurodiversity? Neurodiverse individuals are those with developmental disabilities such as autism, ADHD and social anxiety disorders. However, there’s a growing understanding that these individuals aren’t disabled per se, but rather differently-abled. Neurodiversity refers to the different ways we think. Most people are neurotypical. In other words, they process information in a similar way and as society expects. With neurodivergent people, the brain functions, learns and processes information differently. Most people experience neurodivergence along a ‘spectrum’ of characteristics, [...]
Managing The Probationary Period
Probationary periods are included as a standard practice in most employment contracts. This is frequently provided for in employment contracts to allow for a trial period in which an employer can evaluate an employee’s suitability and performance. However, probationary periods are not without pitfalls, and dismissal can carry many legal risks during this trial period. Employment contracts that do not contain a probation disclaimer could cause problems for the employer if recruitment is not successful. The Legality Of Probationary Periods Firstly, it is worth noting that although you are not legally obliged to include probationary periods for all new recruits, [...]
How Employers Can Manage Returning To The Workplace
Workers in Ireland are obliged to honour their contracts if their employer requires them to return to the office, says Tánaiste, Leo Varadkar. A ‘staggered and phased’ return to the workplace began on September 20, under the reopening roadmap launched by the government. In this article, leading HR and employment law consultant, Breda Cullen, offers her expert advice on the roadmap, and the impact that this will have on employers and workplaces in the coming months. Ms Cullen says: “Many employers and employees will have been working at home since March 2020. The return to the workplace may pose [...]
Helping Employers Overcome The Key Challenges Of Reduced Working Hours
HR Team director, Breda Cullen, says HR Team’s consultants are making a number of recommendations on how to mitigate risk when seeking to reduce hours for employees as a result of Covid-19. Employers have a number of options available to deal with these challenges, as businesses face operational reductions. Lay-offs and short-time working Temporary lay-off is an option when an employer is temporarily unable to provide an employee with the work for which they were employed. Short-time working is also an option when operations have been reduced. Short-time working means an employee’s hours of work or pay are reduced to less than [...]
HR Team Surveys Workplace Stress From Working Remotely
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 [...]
Employment Law Advice And Consultancy – What Is The Best Option For You?
Employment law regulates the relationship between employers and employees. It governs what employers can expect from employees, what employers can ask employees to do, and employees rights at work. Employment law is a minefield with continuous changes in government guidance. It can be challenging to keep on top of the ever-changing legislation. Particularly given the uncertainty of Brexit and Covid-19, employers must act with great caution to remain legally compliant. There are multiple options available; an employer could hire an in-house HR consultant or team, acquire an employment law advisor or solicitor, or pay for outsourced HR and employment law [...]
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. For expert HR advice on the latest employment law updates, contact our team. However, Ms Cullen said it is important that [...]
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 options [...]