Probationary periods are a very useful tool and an important part of the selection process, provided used properly. However, their mis-use can be costly. Learn some useful tips to avoid problems in this area.

A fair ground operator who was dismissed for using his mobile phone whilst operating a fairground ride was unfairly dismissed and awarded €4,000.

Whilst some of the more interesting cases that I report on relate to employers losing unfair dismissal cases in the EAT, there are also plenty of cases where employees are not successful in bringing an unfair dismissal claim. Here are two of them for your review.

As the fifth bank holiday of 2014 approaches, I thought it would be useful to remind you about how public holiday entitlement applies to employees.

The EAT recently refused a preliminary application from a claimant in an unfair dismissal case to have the proceedings recorded by an Iphone App and said it would undermine the integrity of how they conduct hearings within an informal atmosphere.

Two recent cases published by the EAT once again illustrate the difficulty that employers face in arriving at a fair outcome when making a decision to dismiss employees for misconduct. In both cases involving large retail organisations, the decisions to dismiss were deemed dis-proportionate despite admitted fraudulent behavior and the existence of a previous final written warning.

Employers who do not maintain a Register of Employees for PAYE purposes may face penalties of up to €4,000 (plus a separate fine of €3,000 for Company secretaries).

Employers need to make sure that all their employees receive the breaks and rest periods they are entitled to under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 or else face having to pay compensation awards and fines.

Parental leave entitlement was increased earlier this year to 18 weeks per child and is available as a statutory entitlement to eligible parents in the workplace. Find out more about parental leave entitlements and how you manage the impact of such leave in your business as well as avoiding problems by failing to adhere to the statutory regulations in this area.