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Face-to-face Service Update

The Agency has not been conducting face-to-face meetings with customers due to Covid-19, rather we have held meetings by alternative means such as video conferencing or teleconference.  Our staff have in general, been working remotely and our offices have been closed to visitors. We are delighted that work is now in progress to restore Covid-secure face-to-face delivery for specific services such as Independent Appeals and Mediations. It should be noted that the pandemic created a considerable backlog in relation to these services and we therefore thank you for your patience and understanding.

Our programme of public and in-company seminars and workshops has been postponed for the time being, but we are continuing to develop and publish webinars on key topics such as Redundancy, Mental Health and Discipline and Dismissal.

The Northern Ireland Engagement Forum, which is chaired by the Labour Relations Agency, has produced A Practical Guide to Making Workplaces Safer to support organisations and workers across Northern Ireland. We have also produced a Working from Home guide and a Practical Guide to Hybrid Working.

Who is an employee?

There are differences between ‘employees’, ‘workers’ and ‘contractors’.  These differences in status can affect rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

Steps to resolve

When there is an issue in the workplace, employers and employees have a number of options and steps they can take to resolve it, ranging from informal conversations to formal processes and procedures.  

Workplace policies

Clear workplace policies and procedures help organisations to be productive, efficient and maintain high levels of staff morale.  Ensuring that everyone knows how and why things are done is a key component in establishing best employment practice.  Check out our free 'Toolkit' to create your own policies and procedures that adhere to legal requirements and best practice, and which meet the particular needs of your organisation.

Trade unions

The Industrial Relations (Northern Ireland) Order 1992 defines a trade union as “an organisation (whether permanent or temporary) which … consists wholly or mainly of workers of one or more descriptions and is an organisation whose principal purposes include the regulation of relations between workers … and employers or employers’ associations. 

Employment Document Toolkit

Once you are registered you can unlock our free core employment guides to help you build documents, policies and procedures for your own organisation.