Looking back on 2020, we saw lots of interesting developments across many areas of employment law. However, each of these developments was part of an overarching theme in COVID-19, raising entirely new challenges such as the mass move to remote working, return to work planning and cost-cutting measures. We invite you to revisit our top five most popular briefings and podcasts from 2020 in this update.
1. Implementing Redundancies and
Other Cost-Cutting Measure During COVID-19
The Employment, Pensions and Benefits
Group shared their insights into the common pitfalls that they see employers
running into in implementing redundancies and other cost-cutting measures. The discussion also considered the process
and procedure for managing risk in collective redundancies and other cost-cutting
measures in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more here.
Listen to our
podcast here.
As businesses turn
their attention to reopening their workplaces, we asked 250 in-house counsel
and HR professionals who participated in our recent COVID-19: Returning to the
Workplace webinar for their perspectives on the reopening of their
organisations. Participants came from a
wide range of businesses in Ireland across various industries. Find out more here.
Listen to our
podcast here.
3. COVID-19 Update on
Remote Working
Matheson hosted a
webinar on remote working which was attended by a large number of employers
from various different sectors. During
the webinar the participants had an opportunity to take part in a survey and
answer questions in relation to working from home, employees moving to another
jurisdiction and other topical issues arising out of the pandemic. Find out the main findings of the survey here.
Listen to our
podcast here.
4. Brexit and HR - The
Implications for Employee Data Transfers and EWCs Converting to Irish Law
On this podcast,
Employment partners, Bryan Dunne, Deirdre Crowley and Russell Rochford were
joined by Kevin Duffy, former Chairman of the Labour Court and Tom Hayes,
Executive Director of the Brussels European Employee Relations Group (BEERG)
and Director of European Union Affairs of the HR Policy Association, Washington
DC. The webinar looked at different topics that employers are currently
preparing for, but arise as an immediate consequence of Brexit. The panellists focused on data transfers
outside of the EU post Brexit and on the implications of Brexit for
multi-national employers currently operating European Works Councils under UK
law and the growing trend amongst UK based EWCs to convert to Irish law. The discussion also looked at some of the
practical issues involved in running an EWC under Irish law.
Listen to our
podcast here.
5. COVID-19: The
next Challenge for Employers - Managing
the Vaccine
The recent progress in the COVID-19 vaccine will no doubt raise another round of new and difficult questions for employers. While a vaccine will hopefully mean that workplace shut-downs can be avoided, this might only happen if enough of the labour force take the vaccine.
For further information visit our COVID-19 Insights Centre or find out more about our Employment, Pensions and Benefits team here.