Policies & Procedures

For organisations that require face-to-face, on-site HR support, we provide the services listed below, which have been categorised into five distinct components. Depending on the level of your requirement, we do this by either putting HR specialist(s) into your business on a permanent basis, or we provide you with full remote back-up complemented by regular site visits.

1. Legal

It is critically important that when one addresses any of the core HR activities, they must be carried out within the confines of the legal framework that exists. We will advise you to ensure that you are complying with all current legislation.

2. Mediation Services

We provide a full range of mediation services whereby we resolve many internal employee and industrial relations issues that arise within the workplace. This can include direct negotiations with solicitors, third parties and trade unions.

3. Staff Retention and Benefits

We assist you to ensure that you do what is necessary to keep your employees within the organisation. This covers the entire area of salary planning, benefits planning, benefits administration, performance management and face-to-face group meetings, or one-on-one discussions.

4. Recruitment

This involves us in the hiring process from the very beginning, from writing up job profiles and descriptions to advertising, arranging interviews, checking references, and issuing contracts.

5. Training and Development

The service we offer in this space includes identifying training requirements, driving the training programme and the training vendors, right through to succession planning, key people identification, skills identification and management development.

The Smart Solution for Businesses - We aim to ensure that you, our client, are not constrained by the legislation that exists today, but are aware of it and acting in accordance with it.

The service includes salary surveys to support your salary planning and review process, design and implementation of your policies and procedures and inclusion of these in the company handbook.

As part of this service, a company is provided with on-site representation approximately once per month.

In this era of increased employee litigation the Labour Court has thousands of cases waiting to be heard - In a huge number of these cases the employer will end up paying substantial sums in compensation to employees (or former employees). In a lot of instances the award will be made as a result of the employer failing to follow appropriate procedures when dealing with an employee.

Unfortunately, the onus is on the employer to prove that he or she acted in a fair manner - the motives behind his or her decisions will be scrutinised. Everything must be justified.

On a daily basis we hear of Unfair Dismissal cases succeeding - the rulings are regularly shocking... even to Irish Employment Law professionals. We see employers being forced to pay huge sums due to the occurrence of harassment/bullying - often the employer is not even aware that such an activity is taking place - yet it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that this type of situation does not arise in their workplace.

A recent example of harassment in the workplace occurred in a fast food company in Blackpool, Cork where two employees were subjected to sexual harassment by another employee.

An Equality Tribunal ruling found that a lesbian couple, who both worked for a fast food restaurant in Cork, were forced to endure obscene remarks and queries about their relationship and sexuality from another employee at the branch.

The tribunal found that management at the restaurant failed in their duty to take the appropriate steps to protect the women and consequently were instructed to pay €15,000 to the couple.

Under Irish Employment Legislation it is the duty of the employer to provide a workplace that is safe for lesbian women and gay men to be open about their sexuality.

This is something that all employers need to pay close attention to - this kind of sum could sink a small company - we heard yesterday that Ireland's economy is receding again - We know the whole area can seem like a minefield but companies simply can't afford to be careless when it comes to employee related matters. It is crucial to keep on top of the regular updates in Legislation.

Did yo know that parental leave has recently been increased from 14 to 18 weeks?

Did you know that Maternity, Adoptive and Health and Safety Benefits are taxable as of 1st July 2013?

The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) is carrying out inspections in Irish workplaces and imposing fines where employers are in breach of Irish Employment regulations.

The employer is legally required to have contracts of employment in place with all employee who have accrued 2 months' service - employers also need to have employee handbooks in place.

Without employment documentation and clear and appropriate policies and procedures in place the company is not insulated against the risk of a fine - many employers are exposed at the minute and need some guidance to ensure they are protected in the future.

We are Irish Employment Legislation specialists and are offering complimentary consultations/audits to employers in Ireland who feel that they would benefit from a meeting with one of our HR specialists.

Do not hesitate to leave us your details and we will be in touch shortly to arrange a complimentary (no-strings-attached) audit of your documentation or just a general consultation that will hopefully help your understanding of employer responsibilities.

In a competitive job market compensation and benefits take on an even greater level of significance. Unfortunately, the management of such benefits can also take on an added level of complexity.

The HR Company takes the complexity back out. We take the guess-work out of decision making by surveying the marketplace and keeping you informed.

We take the headache out of administering compensation and benefits by providing you with a variety of specialised back-office services. These include everything from processing pension and medical plans to managing and organising your company’s Organisational Health Index.

Here is a list of some of the services we offer to assist companies with their compensation and benefits management:

 

•Pension/medical membership processing

•Salary survey, planning & administration

•Salary/Bonus/Stock system processing

•Company Car policy management

•Mortgage application processing

•Maternity/Parental Leave benefits

•Flexible benefits

•Advise on, manage and organise annual Benefits and Expo & Health Awareness Programme

•Manage & organise company OHI

•Manage Outplacement Programme

•Tailored generation of reports & statistics

 

If you require guidance or support with benefit and compensation administration then look no further than The HR Company.

 

We provide a virtual employment law service over the phone and on email.  It entails making sure your business is compliant at all times.  We issue contracts of employment, handbooks, handle disputes, issue warning letters and basically offer a 24/7 helpline. We provide an unlimited service with regard to any issues in the workplace.

 

We are a long established Irish owned ‘HR Compliance’ Company, specialising in Employment Law and Legislation, we are based in Sandyford, Dublin with 23 staff.

 

We support small to medium sized companies in ensuring that your business is compliant from an employee perspective, therefore keeping you legal. We protect you and act as your eyes and ears on all Irish Employment Law issues.

 

The Cost of the service is €99+vat per month up to 30 employees and thereafter €3.50 for each additional employee minimum subscription of 1 year.   

 

There is a once off set-up administration fee of €200 +vat.  This is normally issued via cheque.

 

In summary, we support associations by providing you with customised and personal advice on any Employment Law issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

·       We handle all Grievance Issues in the work place

·       We manage all work associated with reducing working hours and any redundancies

·       We interpret all employment legislation where we deliver all Disciplinary recommendations, we will even write the disciplinary letters for you. These will be customised, we do not work with samples or templates. What you will receive on email will be the final document, you will not have to make any edits or changes

·       We will guarantee you are NERA compliant

Did you know? - That NERA inspectors are currently carrying out investigations to ensure that businesses are compliant with employment law legislation and that labour inspectorates have the right to request access to employment records such as, Hours of Work, Public Holiday Benefits, Annual Leave, Wage Sheets and Legally Compliant Contracts. 

Non compliance can result in fines ranging from €650 to €1,900 depending on the offence with a proposal currently in place for the maximum fine to be increased to €5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 12 months and summary conviction or a maximum fine of €250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 5 years and indictment.  

·       We will answer any question of employee legislation ie what rights does an employee have under the Maternity leave act/Parental leave act/Force Majeure/Compassionate leave/Part-Time / Casual workers and their rights!

·       We will manage any conflict in the organisation

·       We manage Bullying & Harassment in the workplace

·       We handle all Performance Issues and provide recommendations on what to do.

·       Negotiation with Trade Unions

·       Dealing with the LRC (Labour Relations Commission)

·       We will issue all contracts of employment and email to you, these will be customised and again not samples.  Every time you hire new people, you just let us know and we will have a Contract of Employment for them within 24 hrs.

·       We will write an Employee Handbook specific to your business, we do not use ‘one suits all’

Your dedicated account manager is available to your for advice and support on all HR issues whenever you need to ask a question.

Why not get your HR documents audited by one of our specialists free of charge and avail of a complimentary 1:1 (no obligation) Irish Employment Legislation consultation at your premises?

In this extrememly litigious era where employees know their rights insulate your company and treat yourself to peace of mind by availing of our free consultation -

 

 

 

 

Please note all our legal documents ie Contracts of Employment and other documents are all copyright protected and will be issued in PDF format only

The issue of age discrimination has become a significant one in Ireland in this extremely litigious era – it is imperative that employers are very careful in all they say, write and do in relation to age if they aim to avoid a discrimination claim. 

Discrimination is defined as the treatment of one person in a less favourable way than another person in a comparable situation on any of the nine specific grounds. It covers not only current and past discrimination but also discrimination that may exist in the future or is imputed to a person.

The Employment Equality Acts 1998-2011 prohibit discrimination in employment based on a person’s age as well as eight other grounds (gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community). The Equality Authority, in some instances, will provide assistance to individuals who feel as though they have been discriminated against in their employment.

The Equality Tribunal is charged with investigating alleged discrimination on any of the nine grounds and ensures the relevant employment legislation is implemented correctly. The Equality Tribunal can enforce a means of redress or compensation in favour of the employee.

Discrimination based on age commonly occurs at the recruitment stage and in the course of the interview and selection process. The Acts outlaw discrimination in job advertisements and therefore employers need to be extremely careful when drafting such advertisements. An employer cannot seek a “young and dynamic employee” as this excludes several candidates who are not “young” – all interested parties should have equal right to be considered for the role. Similarly, employers should not make it compulsory for applicants to provide their age or date of birth when applying for a job.

It is also frequent in the area of promotion or in redundancy scenarios. An employee cannot be made redundant in order to make way for a “younger” employee.

Employers are entitled to implement certain policies under the Acts, for instance, an employer may set a minimum age requirement (not more than 18 years of age) for potential applicants for a job. The employer can also set a compulsory retirement age but this must be clear and fair for all employees based on their role.

In relation to retirement ages an employer should have a policy in place that covers this. He or she should ensure that the compulsory retirement age is referred to in the contract of employment as well as including a very detailed description of the policy in the company handbook – employees should be required to confirm in writing that they have read and accept the employee handbook.

A Retirement Policy should, at a very minimum, confirm the age at which employees must retire. It should also include a timeline detailing what happens in the run up to the retirement date. For instance, when the employee should expect to be advised of their precise retirement date and details of who they should expect to receive this information from.

Some employers will provide that a member of the HR department meets the employee who is set to retire in order to discuss items like outstanding annual leave, handover procedures, return of company equipment, how any benefits or benefits-in-kind may be managed (a company car, for example, if applicable).

Some companies will also assist the employee who is retiring by providing a pre-retirement course in advance of their departure or by discussing pensions and other financial matters with the individual. It could benefit the employee to meet with a financial advisor in the run up to the employee’s retirement - this is something that the employer could provide. If the employee offers this the option to meet a financial advisor (or similar) it should be detailed in the employee handbook.

The effective management of the retirement process will support the employee in the final stages of their employment with the company and will protect the employer by enabling the appropriate transfer of valuable knowledge from the departing employee to the company.

 

 

Companies may offer a fixed-term contract to a person over the compulsory retirement age but there is no obligation on them to do so.

Often the Tribunal finds in favour of the employee in cases relating to discrimination in the workplace, however, one notable age related case was dismissed by the Equality Tribunal when evidence that the employer had an established policy with regard to retirement age and had included retirement age in the contract of employment was provided.

The relevant case decision number is DEC-E2012-086.

Mr. X argued that his former employer had discriminated against him on the basis of age when he was forced to retire at the age of 65. Mr. X had worked for his employer for more than 10 years prior to turning 65. Mr. X, along with his colleagues, were informed of his departure date via e-mail when an invitation to a social event to mark Mr. X’s retirement was sent out.

Mr. X did not want to retire and argued that he was being directly discriminated against on the basis of his age. The employer refuted Mr. X’s allegation and argued that the retirement age of 65 was a “clear term and condition of the contract of employment of employees and a long-standing custom and practice”.

Mr. X’s claim failed as the Tribunal found that his former employer had a “well established practice of retiring its employees” at the age of 65. In certain instances employees who were over 65 were re-engaged on fixed-term contracts for project purposes but that wasn’t the case in all circumstances and it was not the case with Mr. X.

It was an interesting determination from an employer perspective.

Lots of difficult situations present themselves for employers on a regular basis - The HR Company aims to assist employers with their challenging role by giving pratical advice on all HR related activities -

 

One of our consultants was asked a question by an employer about redundancy -

Unfortunately, with the recent economic climate, my business simply doesn't justify eleven employees anymore. Things have become very quiet for us and I am struggling to make ends meet. I feel I need to get down to approximately seven employees to ride-out the downturn. What is the process that I should follow in order to stay compliant in this situation? 

 

 

The HR Company advice: 

Many companies are finding themselves in similar situations in this economy. Initially, the owner should determine if this quiet period is one that is expected to be short term or longer term. If the quiet period is expected to be for a few weeks or months the owner should consider placing employees on reduced working hours or possibly laying off some staff for the short term.

Alternatively, if the business cannot sustain the number of employees they currently hold, then redundancies will need to be considered. All other avenues should be exhausted prior to making the decision to make positions redundant. There is a strict redundancy selection process that has to be followed when making job roles redundant. Remember that it is the role that is made redundant rather than the employee – One cannot make an employee redundant and then hire a replacement in their role the next day.

 

Common employer pitfall:

If a business does not engage with introducing any of these measures with employees in the correct way, the employee may leave the company (i.e. if on a short working week or on lay-off) and claim Constructive Dismissal which could see the employee awarded a large sum. If the correct redundancy process is not followed a former employee may make a claim of Unfair Dismissal or Unfair Selection for Redundancy which can run to high costs for your business in the long run.

 

 

Employee Assistance Programs, often referred to as EAPs, are programs offered by many employers to employees to assist them in dealing with personal/delicate issues that may hinder their performance in work related activities or negatively affect their overall wellbeing.

EAPs support employees and their family members by providing services such as counselling or guidance in finding a service that will help the employee through a challenging stage or sensitive issue.

 

EAP professionals provide assistance to people with a broad range of problems – some examples of these are:

 

• Overwhelming relationship/family issues
• Mental illness
• Alcohol or drug addictions
• Bereavement
• Emotional distress relating to illness, financial and legal concerns etc.

 

It is important for employers to make employees aware that the EAP is a voluntary service and that the EAP maintains the confidentiality of the individual availing of the service.

 

Typically the employer absorbs the costs associated with providing an EAP so it is available free of charge for the employee and his/her family members. Some companies have their own EAP and a dedicated team to deliver the relevant support to employees, however, many companies use a third party EAP provider. There is no obligation on employers to deliver such a program to employees, however, there are many benefits linked with the accessibility of an EAP to employees.

 

The reasons an employer should provide access to an EAP are as follows:

 

• Reduced turnover
• Improved rates of absenteeism
• Increased levels of productivity

 

Having support services like this in place gives employees a sense that their happiness and wellbeing is important to the employer – they feel valued in the workplace and morale and loyalty are likely to improve. Employees are more likely to address their issues/problems if doing so is made easy and does not create an additional expense for them.

 

To ensure you comply with all employment legislation and to make sure your human resources issues are tackled efficiently contact The HR Company. 

 

 

Whether it is through office computers, laptops or mobile devices, a lot of work environments have easy access to resources like the Internet these days. It is important for employers to lay down ground rules when it comes to the use of the Internet at work. Internet access is typically provided by employers for the purpose of assisting employees with their work related activities.

Employers should instruct employees not to use the Internet for non-work related undertakings – except in extraordinary circumstances or on the specific instruction of the manager.

An employer should reserve the right to restrict and monitor the use of Internet resources.

If observing inward and/or outward Internet traffic it is important to make employees aware of this and to let them know that the sites they visit will be recorded by management and may be used at the discretion of The Company. Employers should reserve the right to monitor by means of electronic scanning, for instance, for source and destination addresses and should scrutinise the distribution of any information through the Internet.

 

Here are some rules that employers should put in place in the employee handbook: 

 DO

• Use the Internet only as needed for work or limited personal use when essential
• Understand that The Company may be liable for what the employee does from The Company network - whether The Company is aware or not
• Help The Company to maintain compliance with software licensing – if in doubt, the employee should ask the management team 

DO NOT:

• Download software, games or screensavers to your computer or to The Company network
• Distribute Company Logins or Passwords to those who are not authorised to use them
• Download video files such as MPEG files unless directly related to work assigned to you
• Engage in any form of online gambling or betting
• Use passwords or encryption keys unknown to Management
• Obtain malicious access to Internet sites by cracking or hacking
• Retrieve material from the Internet using Company resources which:

-              is sexually explicit, offensive, obscene or pornographic
-              is racist, sexist or which may otherwise cause offence or be construed as harassment
-              infringes someone else’s legal rights, including copyright, patent or trademark rights of any other person or organisation
-              is defamatory or attacks or denigrates any person, group or organisation
-              would cause offence on the grounds of race, colour, religion, political beliefs, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, nationality, marital status, membership of the traveller community or intending to, undergoing or having undergone treatment to change sex, or
-              is otherwise unlawful or could constitute a criminal offence or which could damage the reputation of The Company

 

 

In order to protect The Company employers should establish policies regarding employees’ personal websites – for instance:

While an employee is entitled to create and operate a personal or commercial website employers generally prevent employees from creating one that would violate Company policies or that would compete with The Company - The employee should notify The Company of his or her external commercial activities and the existence of resources such as a personal website and these should be approved by management to ensure there is no conflict.

 

Employers should restrict the use of Company resources/property in the development or operation of a personal website. A policy should be put in place to prevent work on a personal website being carried out on The Company premises or on Company time as the employee is expected to devote their full working time and loyalty to The Company.

 

 For assistance in creating contracts of employment or employee handbooks containing policies and procedures about internet use or to help eliminate problems in the workplace while ensuring you are compliant with all employment legislation visit The HR Company and subscribe to have 24/7 access to your own personal expert HR department.

 

 Employment references for prospective employees should always be thoroughly vetted – however, for various reasons, they may not always give a true and present reflection of the candidate or they may reflect what the employee’s capabilities were at a different time which may not necessarily match their current skills. For this reason it is advisable for employers to employ new members based on multiple evaluations to protect themselves and to ensure not to waste any time or resources on someone who isn’t adequately equipped for the role.

 

An applicant’s Curriculum Vitae and the resulting interview can tell an employer a lot about the potential new employee - it is not uncommon, however, to ask shortlisted candidates to perform competency-based assessments or aptitude tests so that the employer can acquire a full picture of the candidate and determine whether or not he or she is the right fit for the vacancy. In certain instances it is advisable for employers to hire new members on a probationary period of 3 or 6 months or something along those lines – this is becoming more and more prevalent.

 

This probationary period does not prejudice the company’s right to dismiss in accordance with the notice provisions contained in the employee’s individual statement of main terms of employment, or without notice for reasons of gross misconduct, should this be necessary.

 

 

 

This period should be used by the employer to fully assess the employee’s work performance and suitability and if the work performance is not up to the required standard or the employee is considered to be unsuitable the employer should either take swift remedial action or terminate the employment, without recourse to the disciplinary procedure.

 

At the end of the probationary period the employee should again be reassessed. If he or she has not reached the required standard the employer should, at their discretion, either extend the probationary period in order that remedial action can be taken or terminate the contract of employment.

 

The probationary period should not in any case exceed eleven months in total.  The employee should receive notice of the company’s intention to extend the probationary period before or at the end of the initial 6 month probationary period. 

 

A clause should allow that any continuous period of absence of four weeks or more would suspend the probationary period until the employee’s return to work.

 

To avoid any risk of discrimination a policy, like the probationary period outlined above, should be fair and consistent and should apply to all new employees throughout the company.  In disciplinary proceedings, when dealing with employees on probationary periods, progressive steps can be skipped but it is a common misconception that fair procedures and natural justice need not be adhered to during the probationary period.

 

The Unfair Dismissals Acts 1997-2007 will not apply to the dismissal of an employee during a period at the beginning of employment when he/she is on probation or undergoing training provided that:

 

• the contract of employment is in writing
• the duration of probation or training is one year or less and is specified in the contract

It is important to bear in mind that this exclusion from the Acts will not apply if the dismissal results from trade union membership or activity, pregnancy related matters, or entitlements under the maternity protection, parental leave, adoptive leave and carer's leave legislation.

 

For assistance in creating contracts of employment or employee handbooks containing policies and procedures and to ensure you are compliant with all employment legislation visit The HR Company and subscribe to have 24/7 access to your own personal HR department - all your HR needs could be at your finger tips.

 

 

Employees in many companies are required by management to wear a uniform or expressed work attire while carrying out their work responsibilities or while present in the workplace. There are many reasons why employees are obliged to wear a uniform -

 

• A uniform is important in some industries from a Health and Safety perspective
• Wearing a uniform can create a sense of pride/comfort/unity among employees
• Uniforms maintain the company’s corporate image and are a branding opportunity
• Uniforms assist in the efficient identification of employees which is helpful to customers, other employees, suppliers and stakeholders in general.

 

The “uniform” requirements may be a simple guide – for instance “All employees must wear black while carrying out their duties” or employees may simply have a name tag attached to their own clothing.

 

In many workplaces a specific uniform is not mandatory; however, compliance with the company’s dress code may be compulsory and will be enforced by the employer or management.

 

Employees will often come into contact with clients and suppliers and consequently it is in the best interest of the company that they present themselves in a professional manner with regards to appearance and standards of dress. It is essential that overall hygiene and grooming are maintained.

 

Where uniforms are not provided or required, employees should wear clothes appropriate to the job responsibilities - Naturally a mechanic will wear a different form of clothing than an office worker.  

 

Where possible work attire should be kept clean and tidy at all times.

 

 

Some employers will restrict employees in terms of what jewellery is allowed as well as items like tattoos – If a company has guidelines in relation to matters such as work attire the relevant policies should be included in the employee handbook and this should be made available to all employees on the commencement of their employment.

 

Some employers will provide uniforms for employees when they commence employment. In some instances the cost of the uniform will be deducted from the employees pay. Rules in terms of the maintenance of the uniform vary from company to company.

 

Some companies will request that employees launder their own uniforms at their own expense or at the expense of the company. Medical professionals, for instance, must always have sanitized work attire.

 

It is important that employers do not request that their employees wear inappropriate uniforms or uniforms that are not comfortable or practical for the work that is being completed.

 

Suitable footwear and clothing that is warm enough for the working conditions is essential.

 

According to health and safety guidelines an employer must communicate any risks to the employee that would require them to wear protective equipment. The employer should provide the relevant protective equipment such as protective hard hats, metal topped shoes, eyewear and gloves etc.  Where necessary the employer should also provide training on how to use the protective gear. 

 

It is the duty of the employee to take reasonable care for his/her own safety and to use any protective equipment supplied. Radiologists should wear lead coated aprons, for instance, to avoid unnecessary amounts of radiation penetrating their bodies during x-rays.

 

The protective equipment should be provided free of charge to employees if it is intended for use at the workplace only. Where possible, the employee should be provided with their own personal equipment rather than having to share this with other employees.

 

For assistance in creating contracts of employment or employee handbooks containing policies and procedures about dress code/uniforms and much more and to ensure you are compliant with all employment legislation visit The HR Company and subscribe to have 24/7 access to your own personal expert HR department.