First published on Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Last updated on Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Welcome to HR Heartbeat, where we give you a rundown of the week’s top employment law stories. Stay on the pulse of current trends impacting your business, plus get up-to-the-minute commentaries on all things HR and legal.
WRC upholds sacking of senior Dublin Airport executive arrested for alleged theft
A tribunal has upheld the dismissal of a senior Dublin Airport executive who’s 25-year career came to an end when he was sacked for gross misconduct after being arrested over allegations of theft from terminal shops.
While never convicted, the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA)’s position was that airport staff with airside responsibilities had to be “of the highest levels of trust” and “must completely enjoy full management confidence.”
A senior manager said that it was “not an easy decision to dismiss such a senior employee of long service” but felt that there were no “realistic alternatives.”
As the DAA had provided ample evidence they had formed an independent view after carefully considering all evidence, including the employee’s medical factors; the complaint failed. This serves as a lesson for employers to follow due process. Keeping all of your documents safe via secure online storage can be one way to maintain an accurate audit trail. Plus, effective training for your managers can ensure they follow all processes fairly and compliantly, protecting your business in the long term.
79% of Irish organisations unprepared for pension auto-enrolment
The overwhelming majority of Irish organisations (79%) are either completely unprepared or only partly prepared for the introduction of pension auto-enrolment, according to new research.
The study also reveals that as many as 40% of respondents have very little to no understanding of the timeline and planning needed to support auto-enrolment, while only 17% say they fully comprehend the timeline and planning requirements.
Pension-auto-enrolment will hit your business hard if you’re not prepared by 30th September 2025. You’ll need to ensure your policies reflect it before the change, which you can do via an online document library with compliant templates.
Ireland reaches record low in work-related fatalities rate over past year
The HSA has confirmed that Ireland recorded it’s lowest ever rate of work-related fatalities in 2024. The fatality rate per 100k workers has fallen from 2.7 to 1.2 in the ten year period from 2015 to 2024, indicating the fewest work-related deaths since the establishment of the authority in 1989.
A total of 33 people lost their lives in work-related incidents in 2024, a reduction of almost of a quarter on 2023 fatalities. Of the 33 deaths in 2024, 30 were men, and three were women. Conor O’Brien, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, said that, while incredibly positive, “every work-related death is preventable.”
Of course, he’s right. And that’s why investing in end-to-end health & safety software isn’t just a smart business decision—it could genuinely save someone’s life.
And that’s a wrap. Tune in next week for more headlines to make sure you stay ahead of major employment law changes!
