Employment Law – 2024 in Review
With 2024 coming to a close, it’s useful to reflect on the year’s key changes in employment law. New rules and new rights have brought important updates for both employers and employees to be aware of. This post will revisit the highlights, providing a quick refresher on essential points to help you stay compliant and informed.
Sick Pay
The Sick Leave Act 2022 introduced an employee sick pay scheme with 3 days of statutory sick pay. This came into effect on 1st January 2023.
From 1st January 2024, the entitlement increased to 5 days of statutory sick pay. The Government is currently considering ESRI’s research on statutory sick pay and will later decide if there are to be any increases for 2025 and 2026.
The template Sickness Absence policy in Bright Contracts can easily be tailored to provide information on either statutory sick pay or company sick pay.
Rights to Request Flexible Working and Remote Working
Since 7th March 2024, employees who are parents or carers have been granted the right to request flexible working arrangements. Additionally, all employees have been granted the right to request a remote working arrangement, from the same date.
There is helpful guidance on how to make and respond to these requests in the Workplace Relations Commission’s Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Right to Request Flexible Working and Right to Request Remote Working. When preparing the Code, the WRC considered feedback from trade unions, employer representative bodies, and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission,
New policies on these statutory rights were added to the Bright Contracts Handbook, to support employers with their new responsibilities.
Parent’s Leave
Parent’s Leave increased from 7 weeks to 9 weeks, for children born or adopted after 1st August 2024. Parent’s Benefit also increased to 9 weeks. (An employee could also claim the additional 2 weeks if their child was under the age of 2 on 1st August 2024, or if their adopted child had been placed less than 2 years before 1st August 2024.)
Full details of the entitlement are provided in the Parent’s Leave and Benefit Act 2019, amended by the Family Leave and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2021. The Bright Contracts Handbook includes a comprehensive template Parent’s Leave policy.
Takeaways for Employers
It has been a significant year for HR and employment law. To support employers as they navigate these changes, Bright Contracts provides a wide variety of resources which can be tailored to specific needs, including template policies and supporting documents.
Visit our website or talk to a member of our team to find out more about the help we can offer you.
