8 Employment Law Topics That Every Employer Needs to Know

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Now, more than ever, employers have to ensure that they are complying with their obligations under employment legislation. With so many changes taking place in the Irish workplace an understanding of the fundamental issues in employment law is now essential. This 8 week course will provide participants with a thorough understanding of the crucial elements of Irish employment law including contracts of employment, equality, unfair dismissals, statutory leave, The WRC and workplace bullying and harassment.

Description

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) carried out 5,753 workplace inspections in 2018

  • 60% of these inspections were unannounced.
  • 44% of employers were found to be in breach of employment legislation.
  • 15,451 complaints were submitted by employees to the WRC.
  • 3.1 million euro in wages was recovered for employees as a result of WRC inspections.
  • Employers are most likely to breach employment legislation by failing to keep proper records.

Course Content:

1.   Contracts of Employment

Contracts 'of' and 'for' service; The Tests used by the courts; Oral & written Contracts; Expressed Terms & Implied Terms; Zero Hours Contracts; Restrictive Covenants; Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.

2.   Employee Information

The Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 - 2014; The Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2018; The Function of the Employee handbook; the Significance of Policies and Procedures.

3.   Employment Equality

Employment Equality and the EU; The development of Equality Law in Ireland; The Discriminatory Grounds;  Areas of Discrimination; Direct & Indirect Discrimination; The Role of a Comparator; the Burden of Proof; Remedies for Discrimination.

4.   Termination of Employment

Unfair Dismissal Legislation; Fair Procedures and Natural Justice; Constructive Dismissal, ‘Fair’ Dismissal; Wrongful Dismissal, Discriminatory Dismissal. 

5.   Statutory Leave

Maternity Leave; Adoptive Leave; Parental Leave; Carers Leave; Force Majeure Leave

6.   Bullying and Harassment

Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Taking a Claim; Proving a Claim; Employers Defences; Remedies; Bullying and Stress at Work; Definitions; Psychiatric Injury at Work.

7.  Common Law/ Civil Court Claims

Negligence/Personal Injuries Claims, Breach of Contract Claims, Injunction Applications.

8.  Workplace Privacy and Data Protection

Sources of Employee Privacy in Employment, Data Protection Acts 1998 – 2003, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018.