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Rests and breaks
Employees are entitled to breaks for meals and to rest. As far as possible employers should provide breaks, facilities and comfortable surroundings for additional needs such as breastfeeding or expressing milk.
Bullying and harassment
Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect at work. Bullying or harassment of any kind should not be tolerated.
Mediation
An independent mediator can sometimes help resolve grievance or disciplinary issues. There is no charge for using the Labour Relations Agency's mediation service.
Statutory Adoption Pay
One of the qualifying conditions for receipt of SAP is to have average weekly earnings (before tax) of £123 or more (April 2024).
Restraint of Trade
Restraint of trade, also known as ‘restrictive covenants’ help organisations to protect themselves against competitors getting access to their confidential or commercially sensitive information.
Employee representatives
Employees who act as representatives for consultation about redundancies or business transfers, or are candidates to be representatives of this kind, are entitled to reasonable time off with pay during working hours to perform these functions and to receive appropriate training.
Constructive dismissal
An employee may make a claim of constructive dismissal if they feel they had no choice but to resign, for example if they feel that there has been a fundamental breach or change to their contract.
Whistleblowing
The Public Interest Disclosure (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 protects those who report serious wrongdoing in the workplace from dismissal or detrimental treatment as a result of their whistleblowing.
Misconduct and gross misconduct
Disciplinary issues arise when the employer has concerns about an employee’s conduct, absence from work or the way they are performing in their job. They may start a disciplinary procedure which could lead to disciplinary action (including dismissal in more serious cases).
Interviews
When replies to the job advertisement have been received, it is appropriate to:
• match applications against the job description and person specification;
• eliminate applicants who do not have the basic requirements for the job; and
• draw up a shortlist of candidates for interview.