Things will eventually get back to a new 'normal' and while we are working towards that by staying at home and social distancing, there are some housekeeping activities that employers have to keep note of. Yes there is new legislation that has changed how many of us work, but that didn't simply bin all of [...]
Employers are raising concerns that while their businesses have been hit by the Covic-19 pandemic, that they have funds to pay employees and can not therefore avail of the wage subsidy scheme. There are two important elements of the scheme to keep in mind: It states that if your business has suffered a 25% drop [...]
Businesses have voiced their concerns over their potential liability to employees under the Corporate Manslaughter Act in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Act makes businesses accountable for gross health and safety failings that result in death. We normally see this in areas such as construction, but Covid-19 has brought a new dimension to this [...]
Working from home still means that employers have to look after their employees health and safety. One of the best ways of doing this is to carry out a VDU (Visual Display Unit) assessment is done. A VDU assessment makes sure that the ergonomics of your at home workstation is correct to prevent problems such [...]
As per the Government guidelines all non-essential businesses are to close until at least the 12th April. If you are unsure as to whether your business falls into this category please use the link below: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/dfeb8f-list-of-essential-service-providers-under-new-public-health-guidelin/ Should you wish to discuss whether your business falls into one of these categories please don't hesitate to contact [...]
Reduction of Pay A reduction of wages/salaries differs to a deduction of wages/salaries. A reduction is the act of reducing whereas a deduction is what is being subtracted or removed. Where there is a downturn in business, or there is less demand for a service, in order to avoid any potential redundancies, an employer should examine alternative options before proceeding with redundancies. The [...]
The Revenue Wage Subsidy Scheme has come under some heavy fire by employment law experts for its lack of clarity surrounding key details. The Scheme itself, which can be read in full here: https://revenue.ie/en/corporate/communications/covid19/temporary-covid-19-wage-subsidy-scheme.aspx aims to assist those businesses worst hit so far by the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, it would appear to be peppered by [...]
A to Z On Employment Law Matters Contents: Can I ask the employees to take annual leave instead of temporary layoff?. 2 What do you do if your staff are being bullied, harassed and discriminated against because of their nationality? 2 How can I communicate health emergency policy as an Employer?. [...]
If you are an employer you have most likely heard the terms 'lay-off' and 'short-term' more than you would like recently, but many employers have contacted ESA unsure of what the difference is between the two terms. Essentially, lay-off is where an employer is unable to provide work for their employees but believes that this [...]
The Issue: A major bus company has terminated the employment of one of its drivers after he was convicted of careless driving and had a four-year driving ban imposed. The bus driver sued for unfair dismissal but the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has dismissed the claim. WRC Finding: WRC Adjudication Officer, Brian Dalton has [...]