Employee Arrived at Work Under the Influence of Drugs

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 19/12/2017 “I am the Human Resources Manager in a manufacturing business and I have been asked by one of the Operation Managers to dismiss an employee as he alleges the employee arrived for work under the influence of drugs. The employee has been suspended: he is still under his probationary period. How sho...

Tips for a Successful Secondment

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 27/11/2017 “An individual who is with us on secondment from university has raised a grievance under our internal procedure after finding out he’s paid less than his permanent colleagues in the same role – how do I handle it?” First of all, you need to be very clear about the employment status of the secondee....

Dress Code in the Workplace

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 23/10/2017 I am the HR Manager of a chain of restaurants. I have recently received a complaint from a member of staff who claims that she was forced, by her Manager, to wear high heels as part of her uniform. She is a Waitress and there is no dress code in place in the business. How do I handle it? Dress code...

TUPE – What is employee liability information and must we provide it?

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 19/09/2017 I am the HR manager of a business which is being sold. A number of our employees are transferring under TUPE and I have been told to provide the buyer with employee liability information. How do I handle it? First of all, I am assuming that the transfer is happening in NI. This is important becaus...

Investigations into Alleged Misconduct: Police Involvement

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 15/08/2017 “I am a HR Manager of a business and believe one of our employees has stolen some money. When the matter came to light we reported the incident to the Police and the PSNI are currently investigating the matter. What can I do about this employee, considering the ongoing Police investigation?” You ...

Payment in Lieu of Untaken Holiday – Is it Legal?

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 18/07/2017 "We recently purchased a business via a share sale. The transaction was rushed and little due diligence was carried out before the sale took place. Now that I have reviewed personnel files, I have discovered that employees were being paid in lieu of their annual leave without the employees actually...

How should we handle mental health issues in the workplace?

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 16/05/2017 “I am an HR Manager and have been asked by my Managing Director to review our Sickness Absence policy and procedures, to ensure that they adequately cover mental health issues. In light of the current publicity around mental health issues, what else do I need to consider with respect to employees ...

Discrimination on the Grounds of Gender and Unequal Pay

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 20/03/2017 A female member of staff has complained to me that she believes she is earning less than her male colleagues for doing the same job. She wants me to give her details of their salary and move her pay to the same rate. What should I do? Firstly, you should be careful about disclosing personal infor...

How do I organise rest breaks for staff working extra hours during busy periods?

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 22/02/2017 “I am an employer in Northern Ireland’s agriculture industry entering a very busy period for my business. I need my workers to be more available during this time to work longer hours and/or extra shifts. How can I achieve this, without breaching my obligations towards rest periods?” You should be a...

Can we offer a disabled employee lower paid work if deemed unfit to fulfil their role?

Posted in: How do I handle it NI on 16/01/2017 We have an employee who has a disability and have had him assessed by Occupational Health in relation to his ability to continue to carry out his role and responsibilities. Occupational Health has confirmed he is not fit to carry out those duties. We do, however, have alternative work he could do ...