Bullying and Harassment

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 19/09/2023 Christine: So, if we get started then, if we kick off with our bullying and harassment. I'm sure everybody saw the stories in the media about the . . . It's turned into a little bit of a scandal for McDonald's, the treatment of particularly younger employees. And it seemed to be a bit of a snowbal...

How to Deal with Employees who Call in Sick When Holiday Leave isn’t Granted

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 08/08/2023 Julie: Okay. And then I think for our last question that we had, it was about upcoming holidays, and so you've got lots of perhaps competing requests. Unfortunately, you can't have everybody off at the same time, so inevitably you may have to say no to someone. You try and work with them, go back ...

Considerations for Employers During Hot Weather and Tips on Dealing with Appropriate Work Attire When the Mercury Rises

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 08/08/2023 Julie: Okay. Great. And so then, Michael, if you could bring up our next poll question for us, please. So we're going to move on to a little bit of the weather and find out whether you have a dress code policy. "Is your dress code policy still fit for purpose with the increase in heat waves?" And...

What Impact Would a Return to the Office Have on Working Parents?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 08/08/2023 Julie: So when we're looking at people returning to the office, one of the big things that people would mention is about what impact it would have for working parents specifically. So you've covered it in general terms, you've talked a little bit about generational, what employers need to be aware...

What Factors Should Organisations Consider When Deciding Whether to Return Employees to the Office?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 08/08/2023 Julie: So before we start, I'm going to ask Seamus about an article that he wrote for the "Irish News" which was published, Seamus, just before you talk to us about HR practitioners and how organisations need to consider a return to the office and how to look at several aspects before making a dec...

Social Media and the Workplace – What Standards can you Insist on in Relation to Social Media in the Workplace?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 02/06/2023 Christine: But first things first, we've got a little bit of work for you guys today. If we can have a look at some of the polls. We've got Maria in the background doing all the technical stuff thankfully, so we don't have to. So, let's have a look at the polls there, Maria. So, the first one, "Do...

Employee Behaviour - What Standards of Behaviour can be Inferred into an Employment Contract?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 02/06/2023 Christine: Great. So, Seamus, now looking at employee behaviour, we talked a while ago . . . This was our best attended ever webinar. We were talking about this lovely gentleman in Scotland who's employed by the Royal Mail. Somebody's Ring door camera captured all this on footage. He was stepping ...

English Language in the Workplace - Is it OK to Insist that Staff Speak only English in the Workplace?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 01/06/2023 Christine: So, English language. As I said at the start, Northern Ireland is a much more diverse place than it was back in 1998 when Legal-Island was set up. So, we are dealing with different cultures, different backgrounds, and different languages in the workplace. Is it appropriate to ask employ...

The Rights, Wrongs and Pitfalls of an Edict to Return to the Office

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 20/04/2023 Christine: Brilliant, Seamus. I'm just mindful of the time. Let's jump to our Hub subscriber question. The question we have is . . . So, I picked out this question because we get it in many, many forms at Legal-Island, at different events. People are coming up and saying kind of the same thing. So...

The New Vento Bands: How Persuasive are they in NI?

Posted in: Seamus Says - Employment Law Discussion on 20/04/2023 Christine: Great, Seamus. Shall we talk about something a bit more tangible that we know is the actual law as we see it? The Vento bands have been revised. Now, they're English and Welsh, but they are persuasive here in Northern Ireland. Am I correct in saying that? Seamus: Yeah, absolutely. So, ...