Conditions of employment

Employers should be aware of various basic but necessary conditions of employment that their employee's are entitled to, such as the right to work in a smoke free environment. This section provides guidelines for the workplace, which have been approved by the relevant bodies.

2017 a pivotal year for employment law developments

09/06/2017 - 2017 was a pivotal year for employment law developments - read a synopsis of the Ibec Annual Employment Law Conference that took place in Croke Park on the 11 May this year.

Ibec briefing on employee health and well-being in the Workplace

12/04/2017 - On Monday 27 March, over 110 HR practitioners from Ibec member companies attended a briefing on employee health and well-being in the workplace. Employee health and well-being is key area of interest for employers, a fact that was confirmed in the Ibec HR Update Survey in late 2016.

Compensation for loss of overtime

14/02/2017 - Where the availability of overtime hours is substantially reduced within within a business, employees may seek compensation for the loss of overtime earnings. Labour Court recommendations advocating compensation for loss of overtime are not uncommon where the overtime has been regular and rostered if the Court is persuaded that employees have based their standard of living on anticipated higher earnings.

2016 Ibec survey data on flexible working arrangements

30/01/2017 - A total of 373 companies provided information in relation to conditions of employment in 2016. Full details of various types of flexible working arrangements in place in companies, including permanent part time work, e-working, job sharing, flexitime etc, are included in the attached document.

Employment law related developments in 2016

26/01/2017 - In 2016, we represented your interests in hundreds of employment cases before the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court. Through the expert management and specialist knowledge of our executives, we regularly save our members the expense of commercial legal fees when advice or third party representation is needed.

Sample building resilience policy

30/11/2015 - Resilience, the ability to adapt and thrive in a fast-changing and uncertain world, is now recognised as an important success factor in the workplace. The pace of change in today’s world is more rapid than ever before. This, along with challenging trading conditions, can create uncertainty and negatively affect performance and productivity at work. Most employers realise that a resilient organisation with resilient staff stands the best chance of thriving even in a rapidly changing times and will put a policy in place to promote and support staff resilience.

The Ulster Bank journey to flexible working

27/07/2015 - Ibec was delighted to invite Ulster Bank and Microsoft Ireland to share their experiences of introducing flexible working at an Ibec HR Roundtable discussion in June 2015 on the topic. Both companies shared their respective journeys with representatives from over 60 companies attending as part of the Ibec HR Roundtable series.

Amending an existing anti-smoking policy to include the use of e-cigarettes

07/04/2014 - See our guidance and sample wording for employers planning to amend an existing anti-smoking policy to include the use of e-cigarettes.

Managing smart phone use in the workplace

10/02/2014 - As smart phone ownership continues to increase, it is essential that HR develop a policy on smart phone usage in the workplace that ensures employee peformance and protects companies from liability.

Implementing a time and attendance system - tips for HR

13/01/2014 - A time and attendance system can provide a number of benefits to an employer, not least of which is being able to demonstrate compliance with the record keeping requirements provided for in the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997. Other key benefits relate to keeping employees safe and secure

E-cigarettes in the Workplace

15/10/2013 - Common questions from employers include whether an employer has the right to prohibit the use of e-cigarettes in the workplace and whether an employee can be disciplined for ‘vaping’ in the workplace.