Employment Law for HR

The Real Cost of Employment Law Mistakes
• Common employment law risks faced by HR teams
• Financial and operational impact of employment disputes
• Risks associated with inconsistent HR practices
• Employee relations, reputation, and workplace culture
• WRC complaints and employment-related claims
• Lessons learned from common HR scenarios

Understanding Employment Law & HR Responsibilities
• The role of HR in employment law compliance
• Employer and employee rights and responsibilities
• Understanding the employment relationship
• Company policies and contractual obligations
• Managing legal requirements alongside organisational policies
• Keeping HR practices aligned with current legislation

Terms of Employment & HR Documentation
• Contracts of employment
• Written terms and required employee information
• Day 5 statement requirements
• Policies and procedures
• Changes to terms and conditions
• Working hours, pay, leave, and other employment terms
• Maintaining accurate HR records
The Workplace Relations Commission confirms that employers have obligations concerning written terms of employment, including specified core terms within five days and a wider written statement of terms.

Working Time, Leave & Employee Rights
• Working hours and rest periods
• Annual leave and public holidays
• Sick leave and absence management
• Family-related leave
• Flexible and changing working arrangements
• Part-time and fixed-term employment
• HR responsibilities when managing employee leave
The Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 provides the legislative framework for working time and related employee protections in Ireland.

Equality, Discrimination & Fair Treatment
• Understanding employment equality principles
• Protected grounds
• Recruitment and selection
• Promotion and training
• Pay and conditions
• Workplace harassment and sexual harassment
• Reasonable and consistent HR decision-making
• Preventing discriminatory practices
Irish employment equality legislation covers areas including conditions of employment, training, promotion, working conditions, disciplinary measures, redundancies and dismissals.

Managing Performance, Discipline & Grievances
• Performance management processes
• Informal and formal approaches
• Disciplinary procedures
• Managing employee grievances
• Investigation principles
• Natural justice and fair procedures
• Documentation and record keeping
• Communicating decisions appropriately
• Avoiding common procedural mistakes

Absence, Capability & Employee Relations
• Managing short- and long-term absence
• Supporting employees experiencing difficulties
• Capability and performance concerns
• Return-to-work discussions
• Maintaining appropriate documentation
• Balancing employee wellbeing with organisational requirements
• Managing sensitive HR conversations

Managing Workplace Investigations
• When an investigation may be required
• Planning and preparing an investigation
• Gathering information and evidence
• Conducting fair employee meetings
• Witness interviews
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Preparing investigation findings
• Avoiding bias and conflicts of interest

Managing Termination, Redundancy & Dismissal Risk
• Understanding fair and lawful termination processes
• Unfair dismissal considerations
• Notice requirements
• Redundancy principles
• Restructuring and organisational change
• Procedural fairness
• Documentation and communication
• Reducing avoidable employment disputes
The Unfair Dismissals legislation provides protections relating to unfair dismissal and includes requirements concerning dismissal procedures.

Organisational Responsibility & HR Culture
• HR's role in creating a fair workplace
• Consistency in applying policies
• Management responsibilities
• Employee communication and consultation
• Building trust between employees and management
• Supporting a positive workplace culture
• Linking employment law with employee wellbeing

Employment Law as an Ongoing HR Risk Management Activity
• Keeping policies and procedures under review
• Monitoring legislative developments
• Reviewing employment contracts
• Maintaining accurate HR records
• Learning from employee relations issues
• Identifying recurring HR risks
• Improving management capability
• Embedding legally informed HR practices into everyday operations

This course is suitable for:
• HR Managers
• HR Directors
• HR Business Partners
• HR Advisors
• HR Officers
• People & Culture Managers
• Employee Relations Professionals
• Office Managers with HR responsibilities
• Line Managers
• Supervisors and Team Leaders
• Business Owners
• Managers responsible for employee relations
No formal employment law qualification is required.

Reduce Employment Law Risk
HR decisions can create significant legal and financial exposure when employment legislation, contracts, policies, or fair procedures are not properly considered.

Improve HR Decision-Making
The course gives HR professionals a practical framework for approaching common employment situations and making more informed decisions.

Support Fair Employee Relations
Consistent and transparent HR practices can help organisations build trust, improve employee relationships, and reduce workplace conflict.

Protect Employee Wellbeing
Good employment practices contribute to a healthier workplace culture by ensuring employees are treated fairly, supported appropriately, and managed consistently.

Strengthen Organisational Compliance
Understanding employment law helps HR and management teams identify potential risks and maintain appropriate policies, procedures, and documentation.

Participants will:
• Understand key areas of Irish employment law relevant to HR
• Recognise common employment law risks
• Understand HR responsibilities relating to contracts and employment terms
• Apply employment law principles to practical workplace situations
• Understand fair disciplinary and grievance procedures
• Improve investigation and documentation practices
• Recognise equality and discrimination risks
• Understand key considerations around absence, performance, dismissal and redundancy
• Support managers in making fair and consistent HR decisions
• Contribute to a positive and legally informed workplace culture

Instructor-led training
• Practical HR scenarios
• Interactive discussions
• Case-study exercises
• Workplace examples
• Group problem-solving
• Questions and discussion around common HR situations

Delivered:

• Onsite at client premises, or
• Online Webinar

The course is designed around practical HR application rather than theory alone, helping participants understand how employment law principles can be applied to everyday workplace situations.

The course provides an overview of key Irish employment legislation and related workplace requirements, including:
• Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, as amended
• Organisation of Working Time Act 1997
• Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015
• Unfair Dismissals Acts 1977–2015
• Payment of Wages Act 1991
• Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Acts
• Redundancy Payments Acts
• Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001
• Protection of Employees (Fixed-Term Work) Act 2003
• Protection of Employees (Temporary Agency Work) Act 2012
• Workplace Relations Act 2015
• Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018
• Protected Disclosures Act 2014, as amended
The Workplace Relations Commission identifies areas including pay and wages, working hours, annual leave, terms of employment, unfair dismissal, equality and discrimination, redundancy, fixed-term and part-time work, and parental/carer's leave among the employment matters within its remit.
Note: Employment legislation is subject to amendment. Course content should be reviewed regularly to reflect applicable legislative and regulatory developments.

Samson Training was formed in 2008 and has been delivering professional workplace training for more than 17 years.
Our training is designed to go beyond simply explaining legislation. We focus on how employment law affects real HR decisions, employee relations, workplace culture, and organisational performance.
Organisations choose Samson Training because we provide:
• Established training provider since 2008
• More than 17 years of workplace training experience
• Practical, workplace-focused learning
• Experienced professional trainers
• Realistic HR scenarios and case studies
• Training tailored to organisational requirements
• Flexible onsite and venue-based delivery
• Nationwide training delivery across Ireland
• Professional support before and after training
We believe employment law training should form part of a wider employee wellbeing, HR development, leadership, and organisational risk-management strategy—not simply a compliance exercise.

What does Employment Law for HR training cover?
The course provides a practical overview of key Irish employment law issues relevant to HR, including employment contracts, working time, equality, disciplinary and grievance procedures, investigations, absence, performance management, dismissal and redundancy.

Who should attend Employment Law for HR training?
The course is suitable for HR professionals, HR managers, HR advisors, employee relations professionals, managers, supervisors, business owners and anyone responsible for managing employees.

Is this course suitable for HR professionals without a legal background?
Yes. The course is designed for HR and management professionals and focuses on practical application rather than requiring a legal background.

Does the course cover Irish employment legislation?
Yes. The course focuses on key areas of Irish employment law and the legislation relevant to everyday HR responsibilities.

Does the course cover disciplinary and grievance procedures?
Yes. Participants learn about fair procedures, investigations, documentation, employee meetings, disciplinary processes and grievance management.

Does the course cover unfair dismissal?
Yes. The course introduces the key considerations involved in managing dismissal processes and reducing the risk of unfair dismissal claims.

Does the course cover equality and discrimination?
Yes. The course covers employment equality principles, discriminatory practices, workplace harassment, recruitment, promotion, training and fair treatment.

Can the course be customised for our organisation?
Yes. Samson Training can tailor examples, scenarios and discussions around the organisation's industry, workforce and specific HR requirements.

Can Employment Law for HR training be delivered onsite?
Yes. The course can be delivered onsite at client premises or Online.

Does employment law training form part of employee wellbeing?
Yes. Effective employment practices contribute to employee wellbeing by supporting fairness, consistency, respectful management and a positive workplace culture.