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Potential Problems at Christmas Time
The Labour Relations Agency Workplace Information Service receives enquiries every Christmas from businesses with questions and problems.
To help you prepare and avoid potential issues we have compiled some frequently asked questions which we receive each Christmas season.
Annual Closedowns
Employers may elect to close their business at certain times of the year. (Christmas/new year)
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.
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.
Gender pay gap
The gender pay gap measures the difference between average (median) hourly earnings of men and women, usually shown by the percentage men earn more than women.
Posted worker
Posted workers are sent by their employer to temporarily work abroad in another European Union member state.
Sick leave
From one time to another, employing organisations will experience absence by their staff due to illness. Illness absences are usually unplanned. This makes planning and covering work difficult for employers given the short notice of illness occurrences.
Maternity Leave
The law sets out the legal minimum leave entitlements for mothers.
Agreements between employers and employees may provide for better arrangements than the statutory minimum.
Job applications
There are two main options for inviting applications to job vacancies:
• providing a job application form to be completed and returned, or;
• asking applicants to send a copy of their curriculum vitae (CV).
Bereavement Leave
Employees are sometimes entitled to paid bereavement leave if someone close to them dies. All employees are entitled to reasonable time off without pay to arrange or attend the funeral of a dependant.