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Discrimination when hiring
Fair treatment is not just a moral and legal obligation but makes good business sense. Employers who treat employees fairly will be best placed to recruit and retain staff in an increasingly diverse and competitive labour market.
Warnings and other disciplinary action
Warnings in the workplace should be part of a disciplinary process and they should be designed to allow employees to change a particular behaviour within a given timeframe. They should be given as quickly as possible after the behaviour occurs. Any sanctions should be proportionate to the alleged offence.
Types of contracts
In addition to contracts of employment, a number of other types of contracts exist.
Public duties
Under certain circumstances employers must give employees who hold certain public positions reasonable time off to perform the duties associated with them.
Retirement
Older workers can choose when they retire and can take any occupational pension they’re entitled to. Usually the employer cannot force an employee to retire.
Personal grievances
Grievances are concerns, problems or complaints that employees may raise with their employers.
Resignation and termination of employment
A contract of employment may be ended with the agreement of both parties, or by the employer or employee giving the required amount of notice.
Collective bargaining
This is one method that employers use to work with trade unions or works councils to negotiate matters such as terms and conditions of employment for certain groups or all their employees.
Estimating the costs of workplace conflict in Northern Ireland
Workplace conflict has a negative impact on organisational performance and the working experiences of those involved. Research commissioned by the Labour Relations Agency on workplace conflict in Northern Ireland suggests that disputes took up valuable time and eroded organisational culture.
These challenges have arguably become more acute in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic with pressure on recruitment, retention, engagement and productivity.
However, leaders and policymakers may underestimate the strategic importance of managing conflict at work. Conflict management is often unseen – taking place in the shadows and behind closed doors. Until recently, lack of visibility has been exacerbated by a lack of robust data. This analysis of the costs of workplace conflict in Northern Ireland finds that 37% of workers experience conflict each year at a cost of £851m.
The report in full can be found below, while our podcast on the topic can also be found here.