Location: Northern Ireland
Rep.of Ireland
Location: Northern Ireland
Rep.of Ireland

First Tuesday Q&A

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

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Provide guidance for employers on how to deal with an employee who is requesting time off for cosmetic or elective surgery.

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 05/02/2019 This can be a tricky situation for employers, as it may be unclear whether the employee’s time off should be treated as sickness absence or a period of annual leave. Employers may find that an employee will prefer to take annual leave if the employer does not offer company sick pay. On the other ha...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Discrimination Working Time Pay

If an employee takes ill during a period of unpaid leave, are they still entitled to receive SSP?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 05/02/2019 An employee may become ill during a period of unpaid leave, be that a career break or sabbatical. In order to be eligible for statutory sick pay (‘SSP’) an employee must meet the following eligibility criteria: be an employee; be too ill to undertake any work under his contract of employment on an...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Working Time Pay

Can an employer treat maternity-related absences in the same way as standard sickness absences?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 06/11/2018 Under the Sex Discrimination (NI) Order 1976, pregnant employees have specific legal rights which regulate their relationship with their employers. It is unlawful pregnancy discrimination to treat an employee less favourably: On the grounds that she is pregnant; For a reason relating to her pregna...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Discrimination Policies and Procedures

Can an employer prevent annual leave accruing during sickness absence?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 02/10/2018 Employees are entitled to four weeks’ paid annual leave per leave year under Article 7 Working Time Directive (“basic annual leave”) and an additional 1.6 weeks under Article 16 of the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2016 (“additional annual leave”). For full time workers this equates t...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Contracts of Employment Working Time

Can an employer contact an employee off on long-term sick leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 02/10/2018 It is important for employers to maintain appropriate levels of contact with an employee who is off on sick leave. However, the amount of contact will depend, amongst other things, on the employee’s role and the size of the employer’s business. An employer needs to try and strike the correct balanc...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Policies and Procedures

Does an employer have to pay an employee who is suspended?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 02/10/2018 Suspension usually takes place either: To enable an employer to investigate allegations of misconduct; or For medical or health and safety reasons. Therefore, suspension should be invoked as a protective measure and should not be utilised as a disciplinary sanction nor in a manner likely to resul...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Discipline Health and Safety Pay

Is there a maximum workplace temperature beyond which employees cannot be expected to work?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/08/2018 The recent spell of good weather has generated increased questions regarding temperatures in the workplace. Regulation 7 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993 provides that during work hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be re...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Health and Safety

Does an employer have to allow paid or other leave when an employee suffers a family bereavement?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 03/07/2018 There is no specific statutory right to paid or other time off for a family bereavement, save in the limited circumstances where “emergency leave” applies. However, an employer may have a bereavement policy or compassionate leave policy in place which covers situations where an employee loses a clo...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Policies and Procedures

Is a female employee entitled to be on statutory maternity leave while her partner is also on shared parental leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 03/07/2018 The aim of shared parental leave is to enable both parents (or the mother’s partner) to have time off after their child is born without actually increasing the overall amount of leave that may be taken. To be eligible for shared parental leave, the mother must: Have employee status; Be continuousl...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Working Time Policies and Procedures

Is holiday still owed if an employee falls sick whilst on annual leave?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 05/06/2018 In Anged v Fasga [2012] IRLR 779, the ECJ held that a worker who becomes unfit for work whilst on annual leave has the right, under the Working Time Directive, at his request, to take a period of time off as annual leave at a later time after he has recovered. The period of leave to be rescheduled ...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Working Time Policies and Procedures