HR Safeguarding and Supporting
For employers looking for support with all things HR, MSS
provide practical solutions designed to help your business run smoothly
Our Services
With over 35 years’ experience advising and supporting Irish SMEs, MSS is one of Ireland's most highly regarded HR support consultants.
For over 35 years, MSS has been advising and supporting Irish SMEs with sound, practical, and competitively priced support to help ensure they are always fully aware of their responsibilities as an employer.
To succeed, your business must find, nurture, and keep top talent. From search to onboarding to development, we guide you through every step of the journey.
Come see what we're all about
With a combination of on-site and remote support services available, MSS-The HR People is always here to help you build a strong foundation based on HR best practices to ensure your business grows and run smoothly.
Our Clients Include
Take Our Free Online HR Health Check
Our Blog
In this article, we discuss the purpose of WRC Codes of Practice for remote working and share insights into what qualifies as remote work, what elements to include in both a remote working request and an employer's response.
Communicating with people who are challenging can be difficult. Indeed, engaging with an employee who constantly challenges your ideas or who seems perpetually dissatisfied, requires tact, empathy, and assertiveness as it is precisely in these situations that effective communication becomes crucial. When working with others, especially in a team setting, maintaining open lines of dialogue is essential for success. So, let’s delve into strategies for handling those challenging conversations. Have an open conversation: Any issues with employees should be addressed by having an open and respectful conversation about improving your professional relationship. Listen to their perspective and explore ways to adjust your interactions. Clear up any misunderstandings through open dialogue and schedule ongoing discussions to strengthen your working relationship. Get to know your Team: Building the relationship beyond work is a great way to strengthen your connection with a challenging employee. Create a comfortable environment to learn about each other's interests and backgrounds and use conversation starters like discussing hobbies, interests, even the latest match results or work achievements to deepen your connection. Set a Good Example: Set a positive example when dealing with a challenging employee by prioritising professionalism and avoiding hostility or retaliation. Acknowledge any mistakes made, strive for better communication, and exhibit behaviours that can positively influence them to do the same. Avoid Workplace Gossip: Resist the temptation to gossip about difficult team members in the workplace. Engaging in gossip can harm your reputation and damage trust among colleagues, potentially leading to decreased morale and a toxic work environment. General Rules to go by; When dealing with conflict remember to at all times: • Stay calm - Resist the urge to retaliate and be hostile with your co-worker, as being calm will rationalise the situation. • Listen - If an employee is being difficult, listen to their side of the situation. • Create boundaries as to what is inappropriate and what you are not comfortable with. For example, if an employee is always being negative or questioning your decisions, you need to let them know how you feel before it escalates. Remember, it’s not just about getting the job done; it’s about fostering collaboration, understanding, and achieving common goals. By mastering the art of communication, you can keep stress levels down, build stronger relationships, and create a more harmonious work environment. By Tara Daly
In Ireland, it is a legal requirement that when someone works for you, there is a contract of employment in place. Simply put, this contract acts an agreement that your employee will work for you, and you will pay them for that work. While initially, it may be the case that not all the terms and conditions of employment are agreed, nonetheless, a contract must exist. An employment contract may be verbal, written, or a combination of both verbal and written. However, it is worth noting that while the contract of employment need not legally be in writing, the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 does set out a legal requirement that certain Terms and Conditions be provided to your employee within one month of them commencing their employment. Meanwhile, the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 sets out core terms and conditions that must be supplied within 5 days of commencement of work. What must be include in the 5-day statement of core terms of employment? As mentioned above, the Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2018 sets out that within 5 days of commencing employment, you the employer must give your employee a written statement of the following terms of employment: 1. The full names of the employer and employee; 2. The address of the employer, or of the principal place of business; 3. The place of work, or where there is no fixed or main place of work, a statement stating that there are various places or you are free to set your own place of work or to work at various places; 4. The title, grade or nature of the work (such as a brief job description); 5. The date of commencement of the contract of employment; 6. The expected duration of the contract (if the contract is temporary or fixed-term); 7. The remuneration, including the initial basic amount, any other component elements, if applicable, indicated separately, the frequency and method of payment of the remuneration to which the employee is entitled, and the pay reference period for the purposes of the National Minimum Wage Act, 2000; 8. The Number of Hours the employer reasonably expects the normal length of your working day and week to be; 9. The duration and conditions relating to the probation period if applicable; 10. Any terms or conditions relating to hours of work, including overtime. Written statement of terms of employment Following on from the initial 5 days work period, the Terms of Employment Information Act 1994 stipulates that your employee must receive a written statement of terms and conditions within one month of them starting work with you. The following must be included in that statement: 1. The full names of the employer and the employee; 2. The address of the employer; 3. The employee may request a written statement of the average hourly rate of pay; 4. Whether pay is weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or otherwise 5. Terms or conditions relating to paid leave other than paid sick leave) 6. Any terms or conditions relating to incapacity for work due to sickness or injury 7. Any terms or conditions relating to pensions and pension schemes 8. Periods of Notice or method for determining periods of notice 9. A reference to any collective agreements which affect the terms of employment; 10. A reference to any appliable REA or ERO and where the employee may obtain a copy of same; 11. The training entitlement, if any, provided by the employer; 12. If the employee is a temporary agency worker, the identity of the user undertakings; 13. If the work pattern is entirely or mostly unpredictable, the statement must state: a)that that work schedule is variable, the number of guaranteed paid hours and the remuneration for work performed in addition to those guaranteed hours b)the reference hours and days within which the employee may be required to work c)the minimum notice period to which the employee is entitled to before the start of a work assignment and, where applicable, the deadline for notification in accordance with Section 17 of the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997, and d)where it is the responsibility of the employer, the identity of the social security institutions receiving the social insurance contributions attached to the contract of employment and any protection relating to social security provided by the employer. Failing to have the required employment contracts in place or failure to issue these Terms and Conditions on time, may leave your business vulnerable to claims. Luckily, we’re here to help you! Give us a call today and we will ensure your contracts and are up-to-date and all your employees receive the required documentation in a timely and efficient manner. By Hugh Hegarty