Take a look at your work email inbox. Beyond the chit-chat with colleagues, spam, and discounts on spa weekends from Groupon.ie, the majority of work-related messages probably contain questions, queries, and requests for clarification. How many of these messages lie unread, and for how long? If the bold number next to the word ‘inbox’ is a high one, chances are …
Managing Religious Diversity in the Workplace
Religion is never far from the headlines these days. Recently, the Irish Times revealed that despite falling Mass attendance, Ireland remains one of the most religious countries in Europe. Expressions of faith can sometimes venture outside of the home or house of worship and can find their way into the workplace. Sometimes endorsing or prohibiting such practices at work can …
Resolve Workplace Conflict Now: Steer Clear of the WRC!
Employment related disputes can arise in all organisations between employees or between management and employees. And this can happen whether the environment is unionised or non-unionised. Dealing with these disputes is challenging on a number of fronts. Firstly, resolution of such problems requires conflict management skills which management might not have. Secondly, even managers with the right skills can have …
Dealing with the Donald Trumps of the Workplace – An Employer’s Guide
It seems that we can rely upon US Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, to provide us with outrageous and often offensive statements. But can you imagine what it would be like to manage such a personality? It seems that almost no workplace is without their very own Donal Trump personality. Leaving an anonymous note in a person’s locker is not really …
When Love Breaks Down In The Workplace: A Guide for Irish Employers
Relationships – we all have them. We all have familial relationships – and most of us also have romantic/sexual relationships. And, for better or for worse, these relationships occur in the workplace. It could be a small business run by a husband and wife team. Or a business where offspring are employed by parents. Or where romance blossoms between 2 colleagues. Or a relationship develops between a subordinate and a superior – whether that superior is married or not. The possibilities are endless – just like in life outside the workplace
Lessons for Irish Employers on Constructive Dismissal
It is typically not easy for an employer to lose a constructive dismissal – for a claim of constructive dismissal to succeed. Why? It’s because the burden of proof is on the employee to show that they were constructively dismissed. This is in contrast to an unfair dismissals case where the burden of proof is on the employer to prove …
The Cost of Workplace Stress: A Guide for Irish Employers
Stress. It seems pervasive. It has gotten to the point now where we are taken aback when we encounter someone who doesn’t seem to have any. But what is it? And, in particular, what is it in the workplace? The Irish Health and Safety Authority defines work-related stress as “stress caused or made worse by work. It simply refers to when …
Be very careful when moving to dismiss!
An employer had an employee about whom a colleague has made a complaint. The nature of the complaint? The employee was “preaching religion to his work colleagues and to members of the public”. The employee did not deny this. The employer gave him a verbal warning and told him that it was unacceptable for him to preach to colleagues or members …
The Role of the HR Function in Fraud Prevention and Detection
This post is the 2nd in a series on workplace fraud. The first post outlined how a company should deal with a fraud that they believe has been perpetrated against them by one of their own employees. This article will examine how the HR function can play a pivotal role in helping to prevent or at least significantly reduce the risk …