There are several must-have documents and records under employment law in Ireland. The purpose of this article is to advise HAI members of these while also suggesting some useful HR templates to have available to management to assist in the processing of HR functions, writes Tom Smyth of HR Consultancy, Tom Smyth & Associates.
Under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, an employer must, within eight weeks of an employee’s commencement, give the employee certain minimum terms and conditions in writing. This requirement is generally met via a contract of employment. It is important to ensure that whatever contract template you use meets the list of minimum terms required by the act! This list is available to review at www.workplacerelations.ie or please contact our offices with any queries.
A safety statement is also legally required for each commercial premises. It must be customised to suit each location and its contents include naming those responsible for safety, identifying risks and hazards and providing mitigating solutions to reduce the possibility of accidents. This must be prepared by a ‘competent’ person who is experienced enough to accurately assess the dangers in the workplace.
A certificate confirming manual handling training is also required for each employee. It is expected that training is done by each employer so there is no reliance on training given in a previous role. Working time records must be maintained accurately by employers so that if ever questioned or inspected, they can produce an accurate record of working time including start, finish and breaks. This has to be in an acceptable format of either a proper Time Management System (TMS) system or an OWT 1 Government form. Generally manual records, such as an augmented roster, will be acceptable, provided the employee signs off on their hours as accurate.
Pay slips must be provided to employees for each pay period. This should accurately set out gross pay and how it is calculated, all deductions and net pay. An active work permit must be on file for any employee from a non-EEA country. For further details on this visit www.djei.ie.
While not legally required, the following templates are recommended for use to ensure clarity of communication and accurate record keeping in areas of HR that can cause difficulties between employers and employees.
Tom Smyth is Managing Director of Tom Smyth & Associates, a HR consultancy, established in 1991, that, in association with HAI, gives Irish employers practical advice on HR, industrial relations and employment law issues. As part of our relationship with HAI and its members, we are happy to discuss and prepare certain complimentary templates to assist your HR function. Please call us on 021-4634154.
This Business Support article featured in the January/February 2017 edition of The Hardware Journal.