First Tuesday Q&A

The claimant was dismissed by reason of gross misconduct and in particular.

What are an Employee’s Rights when they Suffer the Death of a Child?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10/03/2023 An employee is entitled to take time off work if they have a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy or if their child dies before turning 18. Under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, an employee is entitled to two weeks’ parental bereavement leave regardless of th...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Leave Family Friendly Rights Wellbeing

What are the Rights for an Employee who is Suffering Domestic Abuse?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 10/03/2023 In August 2022, the Labour Relations Agency published a ‘Safe at Home, Safe at Work’ guide which focused on how employers can support and assist employees that are suffering from domestic abuse and violence. There has been a pressing need to focus on this issue since the COVID-19 pandemic and parti...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Contracts of Employment Policies and Procedures Wellbeing

What Are an Employer’s Obligations to Employees Undergoing IVF Treatment?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 06/09/2022 Currently, there is no legal right for time off work for fertility treatment, but any sickness should be treated like any other sickness if unable to work. There are pregnancy rights once you have had the last part of the IVF process (embryo transfer) and might become pregnant. At the moment the UK...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Family Friendly Rights

Cosmetic Surgery v Medical Surgery – What Are An Employee’s Rights?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 06/09/2022 There is no requirement to refer to cosmetic surgery within a company's sickness policy or staff handbook, so it is for the employer to decide whether to include it at its own discretion. However, there are benefits for employers providing clarity on how they will deal with time off for cosmetic su...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Policies and Procedures

Who Has Right To Request Occupational Health Meeting - Employee Or Employer?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 06/09/2022 The requirement to attend an occupational health meeting will depend on what an employee’s contract states and what the employee handbook recommends. Occupational health meetings are an effective method for managing long term sickness absence with an employee. They can also be used to safeguard aga...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness

What Effect Will Recent Changes to SSP Rules Have For Employers?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 02/08/2022 The Social Security (Medical Evidence) and Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2022 came into force on 1 July 2022. This amendment will broaden the number of healthcare professionals who can certify statements of fitness to work, commonly known as...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness

What notice should employees give in order to take parental bereavement leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 The rules regarding notification will be set out in the forthcoming regulations. However, by way of indication, we expect that that new rules will largely correspond with those applicable in Great Britain. In order to take parental bereavement leave in Great Britain, employees must give the employe...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Policies and Procedures Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights

Parental Bereavement Leave - What protections rights does an employee have?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 Parents taking parental bereavement leave will be entitled to the same employment protections as those associated with other forms of family related leave i.e. maternity, paternity, adoption, parental and shared parental leave. This will include protection from detriment and dismissal as a result o...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Leave Family Friendly Rights

What is the rate of paid parental bereavement leave and how will it be calculated?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 Employees on parental bereavement leave may also be entitled to statutory parental bereavement pay if they can satisfy certain statutory eligibility criteria. In summary, the employee must: Be in employed by you for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks; Remain in that employment at least until...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights

Who is entitled to parental bereavement leave under the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 01/03/2022 On 7 February 2022, the Northern Ireland Assembly passed the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Bill. It is anticipated that the new legislation will come into effect in April 2022, once the Bill has received Royal Assent and when further details have been set out in the accompanying regulations....
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Pay Leave Family Friendly Rights