HR Solutions will draw up comprehensive employment contracts for your employees detailing all relevant terms and conditions, in order to ensure that all aspects of the employment relationship are clearly documented and that you are fully complying with relevant employment legislation. As a minimum, you are required to provide in writing certain terms and conditions of employment within two months of commencement, as provided under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act, 1994 and 2001.
Some other additional clauses that should be included in a contract of employment include a probationary period, the right to lay off, mobility requirements, normal retirement age and the right to pay in lieu of notice.
Written policies and procedures will ensure that employees know what is expected of them and provide a framework within which to deal with problems when they arise. Essential policies that you need to have in place include:
- Disciplinary & Dismissal Procedure.
- Grievance Procedure. Review our sample Grievance Procedure.
- Bullying & Harassment Prevention & Complaints Policy
An employee handbook is a practical way to clearly outline all procedures & policies that apply to staff as well as providing other useful information about your business. Your employee handbook will support your employment contract and will ensure in the event of disagreement, there are clear guidelines in place for both parties. As well as the essential policy areas outlined above, your employee handbook should cover absenteeism and time keeping rules; internet and email use guidelines; statutory leave entitlements such as maternity, adoptive, carers, parental and annual leave; use of company vehicles and health and safety rules.
GRIEVANCE & DISCIPLINARY HANDLING
Grievance and disciplinary issues must be handled in accordance with due process and the principals of natural justice to avoid unnecessary litigation and costs. Compensation of up to two years salary may be awarded to employees who are not dismissed properly. Check our News Section for details of some recent cases. HR Solutions can equip you with the skills and knowledge that are needed to effectively handle grievance and disciplinary matters, or alternatively can facilitate meetings or appeals on your behalf.
When employee problems are handled correctly, you can minimise time wasted and ensure that issues are dealt with in a fair and consistent manner, within the law. The types of issues that typically arise include dealing with poor performance, dismissal of staff, changing business requirements or dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment. HR Solutions can provide practical step-by-step advice and support on how to deal with these situations.
HR Solutions can manage all aspects of your recruitment requirements or assist with any stage of the process that you need support on. This includes development of job descriptions, advice on advertising and resourcing methods, short-listing of applicants and interviewing support. It is also critical that recruitment practice is not discriminatory and does not fall foul of current equality legislation. See our News Section for some examples of how bad recruitment practice can be costly and what questions not to ask at interview.
HR Solutions will conduct a review of your existing HR framework to highlight potential problems or gaps as well as offering advice on practical solutions. This will ensure that your business is compliant with current employment legislation as well as having the necessary people management procedures in place.
Areas that will be reviewed include working hours and breaks, annual leave and public holiday entitlement, recruitment practice, minimum wage and payment of wages, documentation of terms and conditions of employment and record keeping requirements.
HR Solutions provides employment law training that focuses on ensuring that small to medium sized businesses are compliant with the extensive range of employment law that currently applies. See the outline of our Essential Employment Law Course for further information.
Additional training areas covered by HR Solutions include:
- Dignity At Work Training
- Recruiting Within The Law
- Interview skills
