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HR Buddy Blog

Damien McCarthy - Managing Director of HR Buddy Limited

New year changes for employers to prepare for

The right to request remote working and the right to request flexible working under the Work Life Balance Act require a code of practice. This code of practice is currently under development at the Workplace Relations Commission.

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HR advice ahead of workplace Christmas party season!

A Christmas party can be a great team-building opportunity, especially this year when there is an opportunity to meet and socialise without restrictions for the first time in four years. Many may still be working hybrid or remotely, something that was not as common pre-covid. Also, after “normal” Christmas parties taking place were so cruelly taken away from us over the last few years, many are now looking forward to the opportunity this year.

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Damien McCarthy - Managing Director of HR Buddy Limited

Are relationships between senior executives and employees allowed in the workplace, or is it frowned upon?

Generally, in Ireland, relationships between colleagues and consensual romantic or sexual relationships between work colleagues is an area that is not covered by employment legislation and an area that is not widely dealt with by many employers or their workplace policies.

However, in recent times, more high-profile organisations globally have had trouble in this area and there is nothing stopping any organisation from implementing their own tailored company policies that deal with protocol for when there would be relationships between work colleagues.

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2022 – The year of Workplace trends and buzzwords

Career cushioning

“Career cushioning” — another term borrowed from the world of dating — means cushioning for whatever comes next in the economy and job market, taking actions to keep your options open.

Career cushioning is the end of year term for 2022, in light of high profile lay-offs in the tech world and continuing worry of the cost-of-living crisis and threat of a possible recession. The worker’s reaction is to create a safety net or a back-up if it all goes wrong.

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Public holiday entitlements for workers Christmas 2022

Every year there appears to be great confusion about public holiday entitlements of workers at Christmas time.

Christmas Day, St Stephen’s Day and New Year’s Day are public holidays.
Even when a public holiday falls on a day which is not a ‘normal working day’ for that business (for example, on Saturday or Sunday), employees are still entitled to benefit for that public holiday.

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Recruitment solutions – What is Job Ghosting

a very competitive labour market is obviously leading to this and it can be very frustrating and costly for the employer who invests time in the recruitment process and onboarding of a new hire and but only then for the potential candidate or even successful candidate cutting off all contact!

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Damien McCarthy - CEOHR Buddy

Covid wave during peak season could lead to mass job losses. Calls for the re-introduction of Covid supports to save jobs

The WHO predicted this peak-time summer season wave and unfortunately strategic plans have not been put in place by government to help businesses and to help employers. There needs to be a long-term plan for small businesses to able to cope with the continued shockwaves of covid. The introduction of Covid supports to Businesses now needs to be a very real consideration as the Covid impact is still there and it is eroding turnover and the bottom line,

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Damien McCarthy - CEOHR Buddy

HR Buddy Newsletter March 2022

Two new codes of practice
1.The Code of Practice on Equal Pay provides employers, trade unions and employees with practical guidance on the right to equal pay, how to eliminate pay inequality, and how to resolve pay disputes.

2.The Code of Practice on Sexual Harassment and Harassment at Work sets out what is meant by employment-related sexual harassment and harassment and outlines how it can be prevented.

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HR Buddy experiences of Women in the Workplace

58% of women say they have experienced harassment in their workplace, 4 in 5
experienced sexualised comments being made towards them at work whilst 3 out of 4 say
they are not confident that they will not experience harassment in the future.

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5 things employers need to watch out for as we prepare for the lifting of workplace restrictions:

Wellbeing is going to be critical. People have been impacted in different ways. Some may have lost a love one, some may have struggled financially, a lot will have gotten used to doing things differently, many will have a different outlooks and sets of values out the other side of this. Parents who were working from home may see detachment issues with their young children, when they return to the office. Some will have thrived through homeworking, some will have hated it and although many employees will be happy to see restrictions lifted, there will still caution and a worry with regard to health & safety in the workplace as the restrictions may have eased but the threat of Covid-19 still remains in the background.

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Damien McCarthy - CEOHR Buddy

HR Buddy Newsletter January 2022

The GDPR issue with regard not being allowed to ask, learn  or disclose vaccination status of employees is particularly awkward and almost conflicts with the safety, health and welfare act. But the pandemic has thrown up some confusing and difficult situations and it is no different when it comes to workplace relations and employment law.

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Workplace Covid confusion! What proof is needed to to avail of Covid enhanced illness benefit?

To avail of Enhanced Illness Benefit, depending on your circumstances, the Department of Social Protection will accept: 1. Confirmation from the HSE that you have ordered an antigen test 2. Text message from the HSE that you are a close contact 3. Certification from your GP that you have symptoms of Covid-19 and/or are a probable source of infection. As has been the case to date, a positive PCR test result will also qualify for Enhanced Illness Benefit. A lot

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HR Buddy Newsletter – June 2021

The government’s statutory sick pay scheme will be phased in over a four-year period, starting with three days per year in 2022, rising to five days payable in 2023- and seven-days payable in 2024. Employers will eventually cover the cost of 10 sick days per year in 2025.

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NEW CODE of conduct aimed to give workers the right to disconnect has been signed into effect from today. 

A NEW CODE of conduct aimed to give workers the right to disconnect has been signed into effect from today. 

The code of practice comes into effect immediately and applies to all types of employment, whether you are working remotely or not.

The new code of practice on the right to disconnect from work – covering phone calls, emails and switch-off time – is legally admissible.

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Can an employer request that their employee is vaccinated?

Employers will face dilemmas never experienced before as attention turns to the Covid-19 vaccination programme. While widespread vaccination of the workforce might be desirable, it is highly unlikely that employers will be able to insist that all of their employees are vaccinated. Any employer who issues a mandatory instruction to an employee to be vaccinated is in unchartered waters and could be exposed to legal claims and employee relations issues. For employees who do not wish to be vaccinated, an

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