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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Contacting bereaved employees – how do I handle it?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 04/06/2019 Firstly, an employer is not obligated to grant compassionate leave in the event of a bereavement, except in the limited circumstances outlined in the statutory right to time off for dependents under Article 85A of the Employment Rights (NI) Order 1996. Nevertheless, many employers will provide...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Absence and Sickness Contracts of Employment Policies and Procedures

Communicating a pay rise to an employee – what do I need to provide?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 04/06/2019 Under article 33(2) of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 (“ER(NI)O”), an employer is required to provide an employee with an initial written statement of their employment particulars not later than two months after employment commences. This statement includes ‘the scale or rate ...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment Pay

Can an employer disclose a departing employee’s restrictive covenants to their new employer?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 04/06/2019 It is standard course for an employer to notify a departing employee’s new employer of any post-termination restrictions in place. Often this will simply be by cutting and pasting across the relevant sections from the employee’s contract of employment. An employee’s contract of employment wil...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment Data Protection and GDPR

Do probationary periods apply to staff members redeployed to a different role within a business?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 07/05/2019 Probationary periods are frequently used for new employees, but also can be applied for those redeployed or promoted within the same organisation. If this is the case, a probationary period needs to be clearly communicated to the employee. This can be done by including a probationary clause in the ...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment Probation

Does an employer have to offer time off in lieu (“TOIL”)?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 02/04/2019 As a starting point, there is no statutory obligation to pay an employee for working above their contracted hours (i.e. overtime), provided that an employee’s average pay meets the national minimum wage or the national living wage in accordance with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998. Please note t...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment Working Time Pay

Does an employee who has received a payment in lieu of notice also have to receive payment for holidays that they would have accrued had they worked their notice period?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 05/03/2019 Employers who do not need and/or wish employees to work their notice period can make a payment in lieu of notice (“PILON”). An employer will usually include a PILON clause in its employment contracts to ensure it has the option to terminate an employee’s employment at any time. However, in the abse...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment

We have an employee who was employed under a fixed term contract for 6 months which was renewed for a further three months. The post is now being made permanent. Can we automatically offer it to this employee or do we need to advertise externally?

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 05/03/2019 Employees engaged under fixed term contracts have certain rights from the outset of their employment, as contained within the Fixed-Term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2002 (“FTER 2002”); for example, the right not to be treated less favourably th...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Contracts of Employment

Can an employee claim constructive dismissal if a work colleague makes a discriminatory comment to them and the employer fails to discipline the colleague? 

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 03/12/2018 Ultimately this will depend on the specific facts of the case but it is important to remember from the outset that it is difficult to successfully make a claim for constructive dismissal. Constructive dismissal occurs when an employer breaches an employee’s contract of employment in such a serious ...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Discipline Discrimination Contracts of Employment Policies and Procedures

Please provide guidance for employers in relation to staffing issues during periods of adverse weather

Posted in: First Tuesday Q&A NI on 06/11/2018 Inclement weather can pose problems for employers and employees alike, particularly as it is often unforeseen. Firstly, it is necessary to consider if adverse weather scenarios are dealt with in employment contracts and/or a policy document. This is relevant because some employment contracts may co...
This article is listed under the following topics:
Health and Safety Contracts of Employment Policies and Procedures Pay

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