The Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Regulations 2022 (S.I. No. 686/2022 introduced several important changes that impact employment legislation in Ireland. Here are the key updates employers in Ireland should be aware of:

Equality legislation in Ireland is undergoing significant reform. The Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 proposes a series of key updates to the Employment Equality and Equal Status Acts designed to place greater responsibility on employers to ensure inclusive, fair workplaces.

Many employers who contact ESA are unsure of what the difference is between “lay-off” and “short-time” working. Essentially, lay-off is where an employer is unable to provide work for their employees, but believes that this is a temporary situation. Short-time is where an employer has to reduce their employees hours of work or pay to less than 50% of their normal working hours or pay.

As workplace policies continue to evolve, employees are increasingly making use of a wider range of statutory leave entitlements—some of which employers may not have come across before or had very little experience of. Ideally your Contract of Employment or Employee Handbook should set out the various leave entitlements and manner in which they should be applied for. We've also outlined them here in case your documentation requires updating.

In Ireland, vehicle-related incidents are a significant cause of workplace fatalities and injuries. A large percentage of work-related deaths involve vehicles, with some statistics indicating that 45-50% of all workplace deaths reported to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are linked to vehicles. Specifically, being struck by a vehicle is a leading cause of fatal workplace accidents.