What Does the Abolition of the Resident Labour Market Test (RLMT) Mean for Employers When Recruiting?

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 13/09/2023 Sponsorship of Migrant Workers: In this article, Joanne Hennessy and Leeanne Armstrong, from TLT LLP Solicitors, talk us through points to consider in light of the abolition of the resident labour market test. Abolishing the resident labour market test (RLMT) was seen as a win by many, but it opene...

Whistleblowing - Identifying and Investigating Protected Disclosures

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 21/04/2023 A whistleblower is a person who identifies and speaks out against poor and potentially harmful working practices. Protection for whistleblowers has been in place since 1998, under the Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. It provides protection against detriment and dismissal as...

Investigating Allegations of Serious Misconduct – to Suspend or Not to Suspend

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 12/01/2023 Suspension in the context of an investigation into serious misconduct is a well-trodden path for many HR professionals. Most employer disciplinary procedures will include suspension provisions that permit the employer to place an employee on suspension pending the investigation of allegations into ...

A Year in Review, 2022

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 14/12/2022 As we end 2022 it’s time to reflect on what we have learnt from the past year and consider how we can start the New Year with the best intentions for 2023. Following the pandemic, last year saw the shift from working entirely remotely to return to the office environment, with some companies request...

Right To Work Checks – Is Your Team Up to Speed with the Latest Requirements?

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 02/11/2022 October saw yet more change in the world of prevention of illegal working. Social distancing and remote working became the new norm during the COVID-19 pandemic – in response the Home Office introduced concessions to accommodate right to work checks in such circumstances. These permitted employers ...

Managing Long Term Sickness Absence

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 06/10/2022 Long-term sickness absence can have a significant impact on business operations and output. Managing long-term sickness can be complex and difficult for managers and HR teams, and there is a balance to be struck between supporting an employee through what may be a long-term recovery from illness, a...

Slavery And Human Trafficking – A Re-Cap On Business Requirements

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 07/09/2022 In 2015, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (‘the Act’) consolidated criminal offences relating to human trafficking, forced labour and slavery. Slavery is widely defined to include servitude, forced labour and human trafficking; the Act came into force. Section 54 of the Act requires large business t...

Protecting Confidential Information and Business Interests: Express Confidentiality Clauses and Best Practice Tips

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 14/07/2022 This month we continue to look at the subject of protecting confidential information, and business interests, through the operation of the employment contract, as well as summarising some of the other non- contractual day to day practises employers can operate to keep commercially sensitive and con...

Protecting Confidential Information and Business Interests: The Role Of Restrictive Covenants

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 08/06/2022 During the employment relationship, many employees, and particularly those occupying management and executive team positions, will have access to business critical information. This could include arrangements with customers and suppliers, financial information such as sales and profit figures, proj...

Policy Considerations: Paid Leave for Bereaved Parents and Victims of Domestic Violence

Posted in: The Essential Elements of the Employee Handbook on 11/05/2022 Introduction Despite the recent political instability at Stormont, two significant pieces of legislation were introduced regarding employee leave entitlements prior to the dissolution of the Assembly ahead of the elections on 5 May. They were: Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (Northern I...