Coffee First, Then These Top 5 Reads ☕️

1. WRC drops its 2025 Annual Report, and there is plenty to unpack 📊
2. Ireland tops the EU charts for the disability employment gap, but not in a good way 📉
3. Commuting chaos meets fuel crisis, and remote work is back in the spotlight 🚗
4. Introvert at work? Here is how to get ahead without shouting the loudest 🤫
5. Tune in: AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

And in other news..... if your team is running on unread emails, joyless meetings, and mildly frazzled vibes, our next Skill Builder on Employee Engagement on 21st May will help you fix communication, boost engagement, and escape digital chaos 📉🚀

1. Case Law Reviews
2. AI and Employment Law
3. Employee Engagement
4. WRC Updates
5. Remote & Hybrid Work
6. DEI
7. Bullying in the Workplace
8. Cost of Living
9. ESG
10. Just In Case You Missed It....
11. HR Developments
12. Employment News in the Media
13. Health and Safety Developments
14. Friends of Legal Island
15. Free Webinars This Month

A Finance Manager v A Company IR - SC – 00003181

Summary:  Unfair probation dismissal due to absence of fair procedures.

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Ensure that even during probationary periods, termination decisions are grounded in clear, documented reasons and communicated transparently. While contracts may permit termination during probation, this does not displace the requirement to act fairly. Employers should provide feedback, identify concerns in advance, and allow the employee an opportunity to respond or improve.
  
  
• Comply with the Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures. This includes maintaining fair procedures, documenting performance concerns, and ensuring that employees are treated with dignity and respect.
  
  
• Engage fully with any dispute resolution process. Failure to attend hearings or provide evidence will significantly weaken the employer’s position and may result in adverse findings.
  

Read the full Review here.

Amalia Olasu v PVH Ltd Calvin Klein ADJ-00063873 

Summary: Complaint dismissed due to non-attendance and lack of evidence.

Practical Guidance for Employers: 

Employers should:

• Ensure that all statutory obligations, including the provision of payslips and compliance with working time legislation, are properly documented and capable of being demonstrated through reliable records. Even in short-term or seasonal employment.  
  
  
• Maintain robust systems for employee onboarding and record-keeping. Where systems are incomplete or manual processes are used, employers should ensure that these records are retained and accessible. Delays in responding to complaints can create evidential challenges, particularly where staff turnover has occurred, and employers should have procedures in place to ensure that correspondence is promptly identified and addressed.
  
  
• Engage with dispute resolution processes. While a failure by a complainant to attend may result in dismissal of the claim, employers should not rely on this outcome.  
  
  

Read the full Review here.

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These case reviews were written by Patrick Barrett BL.

Patrick's legal education is robust, beginning with a BCL Law Degree from University College Cork (2012-2016), followed by an LL.M in Business Law from the same institution (2016-2017), and culminating in a Barrister-at-Law Degree from The Honorable Society of King’s Inns in Dublin (2019-2021). He has extensive experience on the South-West Circuit, handling Civil, Family, and Criminal Law cases, as well as advising the Citizen Advice Service.  He has worked as an employment consultant, dealing with workplace investigations and bankruptcy procedures.

Remember: Our Irish case law reviews are now held in our case law section on our fully-searchable employment law hub website.

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Tech workers under stress as pressure to roll out artificial intelligence projects mounts

Three in five information technology (IT) workers in large enterprises in the Republic say they are suffering from work-related stress due to long hours and project-delivery pressures. The survey commissioned by Dublin-based consultancy Saros comes as companies embrace AI and find themselves under pressure to roll out new products and systems. It found that 60 per cent of IT personnel in large Irish enterprises were experiencing stress or mental health issues “due to intensifying delivery pressures”. More from the Irish Times.

Navigating Legal Privilege when using Generative AI

Lawyers, both in-house and in private practice are making growing use of generative AI in the delivery of legal services.  This had led to the creation of a whole new category of documents, in the form of prompts and AI outputs.  Such documents, as with any others, may be subject to disclosure in legal proceedings, unless protected by privilege. Read the full piece by McCann Fitzgerald. 

AI for HR Weekly Podcast with Barry Phillips 🎙️

Hub subscribers are beginning to request that our Chairman, Barry covers a particular AI topic in a future podcast. If you have a request, send it to him directly at barry@legal-island.com - he’ll feel like a DJ from the 80s…...🎧

You can tune into the latest episode right here - or, if you’re on the move, why not take us with you?

Listen on all major platforms: 🎧 Spotify or Apple Podcasts

Simply search for “AI for HR Weekly Podcast” and enjoy expert insights anytime, anywhere.

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Struggling with disengaged teams, fractured communication and constant digital overload? This short, high-impact session gives HR professionals practical strategies to rebuild employee engagement, improve focus and strengthen retention. Join Anne Phillipson, Managing Director, Phillipson Performance Partners on 21st May and turn frustration into meaningful progress. BOOK today. 

Legal Island Employment Law Hub Members receive two FREE Skill builder places*

*As part of their subscription - worth €315. T&Cs apply.

Find out more about all the upcoming Skill Builder for HR sessions HERE. 

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WRC recovered more than €1.5m in upaid wages in 2025

A total of 5,145 inspection cases were completed by the Workplace Relations Commission in 2025 with more than €1.5m recovered in unpaid wages. Of these cases 1,755 were found to have breaches of employment law. In total these cases involved 5,596 individual workplace inspection visits which uncovered 6,571 specific violations of legislation. RTÉ has more.

Workplace Relations Commission publishes 2025 Annual Report

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today published its Annual Report for 2025. In 2025, the WRC’s conciliation services had an 85% success rate, with over 700,000 workers encompassed in the resolution of industrial relations disputes in both the public and private sectors. You can read the full press release here.

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Stories of commuting in a fuel crisis and the renewed push for remote work

Three in five Irish people get to work by car – and their commute is now a lot more expensive than it was just two months ago. The Journal asked its readers how they’re getting on and received many responses, showing up the cracks of some of Ireland’s longstanding infrastructure and planning problems. More here.

Enterprise Committee to discuss remote working and AI with the Chair of Enterprise Ireland and ICTU

The Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment met on Wednesday April 29th to discuss the statutory review of the operation of legislation providing the right to request remote working, as well as the use of AI in the workplace. You can catch up here.

And more on that here.....

Legislation on right to request remote working is failing workers, committee hears

The legislation on the right to request remote working is failing workers and presents only a minor inconvenience to employers wanting to refuse staff permission to work at home, an Oireachtas committee has heard. Politicians were told a key element of a recent assessment by the Department of Enterprise of the operation of the Code of Practice intended to regulate the landscape “lacked credibility”. Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ Social policy officer Laura Bambrick told members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment that employers were perfectly happy with the way the code was being operated. This was because “it is, at most, an administrative inconvenience for an employer who does not want to give their permission or has changed their mind”. More from the Irish Times.

Union raises concerns as Aer Lingus orders 300 staff back to office four days a week

Aer Lingus is ordering around 300 staff who have been availing of hybrid working arrangements in recent years to return to the office four days a week. Terry Gill, industrial organiser for the aviation sector of trade union Siptu, told The Journal that Aer Lingus had informally told him that staff in all departments availing of hybrid working arrangements will be required to return to the office four days a week. More here.

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Every Brain Belongs: Neurodiversity, Your Rights, and the Role of Your Union

In my work educating workers across Ireland, I hear the same stories time and again. The worker who has been quietly struggling for years: misreading a complex roster, finding the open-plan office unbearable, or freezing in an interview despite being brilliant at the job. Only now putting a name to it. Or perhaps not putting a name to it at all, and simply soldiering on. SIPTU has more on this story.

Ireland has highest disability employment gap in EU

Ireland remains one of the weakest performers in the European Union when it comes to employing people with disabilities, despite operating at near full employment. This is one of the key findings at the centre of a new report published by the Open Doors Initiative (ODI), which calls for decisive leadership from both business and Government to close what it describes as a deeply embedded employment gap. More from Think Business.

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Workplace bullying is not rare and the response is not improving

Workplace bullying is often spoken about as if it’s rare. The reality is very different. In new research The Irish Workplace Bullying Report 2026, 2,000 HR professionals and business leaders were asked about their experiences with bullying. 85% of respondents said they have handled at least one bullying complaint during their career. Nearly half have dealt with between three and 10 cases, and almost two-thirds have managed a complaint in the past 12 months alone. Read more in the Irish Examiner. 

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Government to announce fuel support scheme

The measures - which are aimed at the agriculture, quarries, haulage, construction and fisheries sectors - were drawn up in response to the recent fuel protests. It is understood the scheme will be open for applications from mid May - with payments to follow soon thereafter. RTÉ has more on this story.

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Minister Burke secures Government approval for the Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026

The Government has approved the Industrial Development (Amendment) and Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2026. The legislation empowers IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland to accelerate investment, employment and regional development. Once enacted, the Bill will ensure the enterprise agencies have the legislative tools they need to incentivise companies to accelerate their green and digital journeys and will make the approval of environmental protection aid grants less complex. The Bill also streamlines the ability of the agencies to support projects in the Defence, Security and Resilience (DSR) sphere. More here.

However…

76 electric buses unused due to charger delays

The National Bus and Rail Union has described it as “ridiculous” that 76 electric buses worth tens of millions of euro are not being used because of a lack of charging infrastructure. Most of the buses were purchased a year and a half ago, but Public Accounts Committee chairman John Brady has revealed they are simply “sitting idle” at their manufacturers in Ballymena, County Antrim. NewsTALK has more.

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The Employment Law Hub is a comprehensive, jurisdiction-specific resource designed for HR professionals, legal advisors, and business leaders. It centralises essential employment law and HR updates, expertly curated and written by leading HR and legal specialists to provide reliable, practical, and authoritative insights. We have over 700+ in depth articles and 1000+ case law reviews. As a subscriber, you have access to all of this. Check it out the full Hub here and below are some recent articles you may have missed.....

AI in HR Processes, WRC and Court Proceedings: How do I handle it?

AI is quickly becoming a feature of daily life with most people now using AI for a plethora of purposes ranging from dinner recipes to advice on workplace processes and legal matters. Employers will be aware that AI is becoming an increasingly common, and often unwelcome, feature in internal processes as well as external complaints to the Workplace Relations Commission and beyond. This article by Leah Moriarty, Solicitor, RDJ LLP examines the relevant guidance in the area and provides practical guidance to employers grappling with the increased use of AI by employees.

WRC Codes of Practice – The Future of Remote, Flexible & Longer Working Arrangements

The landscape of Irish employment law working arrangements continues to evolve, with three significant developments for employers to consider: the revised Code of Practice on Access to Part-Time Working, the anticipated revision of the WRC's Code of Practice on Remote Working Requests, and the forthcoming Code of Practice on Contractual Retirement Ages. Read more from Sarah Linehan, Employment Solicitor, EY Law Ireland.

Duncan's Case Law Reviews

Duncan Inverarity, Former Partner & Head of Employment at A&L Goodbody LLP reviews the most important case law relevant for Irish employers from the past year. Keep an eye out on our Hub every week for a new update. This week he is discussing the case:

Paul Lingard v Randridge International Ltd (In Examinership) ADJ-00053934

In this case, the WRC held that, despite a corporate contract, the reality of the working relationship showed employee status, emphasising control, limited substitution and the factual day-to-day arrangements between the parties.

Read the full case review here.

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Are you an introvert who wants to get ahead at work?

Networking doesn't have to mean being the most visible person in the room, but building relationships in a way that feels genuine and sustainable. Maura McAdam at DCU looks at how introverts can thrive in this article for RTÉ. Read here.

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Facebook parent company Meta is to cut 10% of its global workforce, which would equate to approximately 8,000 staff. It is not yet known what impact the layoffs will have on the company's Irish operation, which employs around 1,800 people RTÉ reports. 

RTÉ reports fees paid to people sitting on interview and assessment panels for public sector jobs topped €2m in the space of a year, with two individuals earning more than €40,000 each for their work. Figures from the publicjobs service detail how €1.32m of the total was shared among retired civil or public sector staff in 2024. Read more.

RTÉ reports around 120 healthcare workers who have not returned to work due to Long Covid are set to lose their ordinary sick pay by June, leaving many reliant on illness benefit of €254 a week. Some members of the group, backed by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), even fear they face losing their homes due to the financial impact. More here.

A former senior manager at a multinational pharma firm says she was told she could reassure her staff in Ireland they were "safe" when job cuts were announced - only to find her own role was on the line a week later. In a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 against Accord Healthcare Ireland Ltd, Tracey Kivlehan is challenging the termination of her employment in 2024 on the stated basis of redundancy at the WRC. You can read more about this from RTÉ.

The Irish Mirror reports a sales assistant for a company selling solar panels, who is a Traveller, has been awarded €15,000 in compensation after a consultant told a meeting of staff that they were “not like a pack of k******s going door to door selling tarmac.” The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that the sales assistant, Kieran Reilly, had been harassed under the Employment Equality Act 1998 as a result of the derogatory remarks made during a meeting of sales staff working at Energy Centre Limited in Co Meath. More here. 

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Workers’ Memorial Day highlights the ongoing need for worker safety to be prioritised

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), along with colleagues from Ibec and the Construction Industry Federation (CIF), gathered on Tuesday at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin city centre to mark Workers’ Memorial Day. This national day remembers those who have died, been injured or made seriously ill as a result of work. Across the ten-year period from 2016 to 2025, 456 people in Ireland died in work-related incidents. More from the HSA. 

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Kate Field promoted to partner at Addleshaw Goddard

Irish Legal News has revealed Addleshaw Goddard has promoted Kate Field to partner in its Dublin-based disputes & employment practice. Congratulations from Legal Island! 🎉

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Case Law Round‑Up: Lessons on Disability and Reasonable Accommodations

Disability remains the most cited reason for discrimination claims under the Employment Equality Act, according to the WRC’s most recent Annual Report. For employers and HR professionals, failing to manage accommodations or disability-related absences isn’t just tricky—it’s risky and expensive.

Sinead Morgan, Legal Director at DAC Beachcroft, breaks down recent WRC and Labour Court decisions and shares the key lessons HR teams wish they’d learned sooner. Discover actionable guidance on reasonable accommodations to keep your workplace inclusive, compliant, and far less stressful.

Catch up here.

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