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Health & Safety at Work
Employers have a duty to protect their employees and visitors from harm. They must do risk assessments and they must report any serious incidents to the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. Employees are expected to take reasonable care of their own health and safety.
Types of contracts
In addition to contracts of employment, a number of other types of contracts exist.
Induction
When an employee starts work, the employer has a duty of care towards them. This includes making sure that they can do the job safely and competently.
Antenatal Care
All pregnant employees are entitled to time off to keep appointments for antenatal care made on the advice of a registered medical practitioner, registered midwife or registered health visitor.
A person in a qualifying relationship with the pregnant employee is entitled to unpaid time off work to accompany the expectant mother to two antenatal appointments.
Suspension
An employer may decide to suspend an employee temporarily from work if they are involved in a disciplinary situation, or for maternity or medical reasons. Usually an employee who is suspended is entitled to their normal pay during their suspension.
Preventing relationship problems
The best way to prevent relationship problems is to have policies and procedures that are fair, constructive and clear and there should be constructive communication to address issues as quickly as possible. We can help you to check if your policies and procedures are in line with best practice.
However, where relationships have been damaged by events in the workplace, the Labour Relations Agency can provide impartial and confidential mediation, conciliation or arbitration support to help resolve the situation.
Contracts of Employment
A contract of employment is a legal agreement between an employer and an employee. It comes into force when an employee agrees to work for an employer in return for pay.Details a written statement must contain
Employers are required to provide employees with a written statement of particulars of employment within two months of the commencement of employment.
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.
COVID-19 - Advice for Employers and Employees
As Coronavirus in Northern Ireland continues, It is important that businesses and workers know what their rights and responsibilities are when it comes to protecting staff and themselves from the spread of the virus.