Employment Law Training in Dublin: In-Person Options for HR and Managers

HR managers and line managers in Dublin often reach the same point: a difficult conversation is coming, a disciplinary issue has landed on the desk, or the staff handbook needs rewriting, and in-person training would help. This guide is a hub for that situation. It does not teach employment law in a few paragraphs. Instead it explains what three of our detailed guides cover, who each is for, and how to think about choosing in-person employment law training. The first of them, on managing poor performance with fair procedures, is a good starting point for most managers. All of it is general information, not legal advice.

How to use this guide

Read the three summaries below and choose the one closest to your problem. Each linked guide is built from official Irish sources, such as Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and Citizens Information pages, and each says where those sources are silent. This hub adds no new legal facts of its own. If a detail matters to your case, open the linked guide, check the official page it relies on, and take advice. The poor performance guide notes that the core idea is the same for an employer in Dublin or anywhere else in the State.

• If an employee is not meeting the standard of the job, start with the poor performance guide.
• If there is a serious allegation and you are wondering about investigating or suspending, go to the disciplinary investigation guide.
• If you are building or refreshing the written policies that sit behind both, read the employee handbook guide.

Why these three topics belong together

The three guides share a thread: fair procedures and good records. All three refer to the WRC Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures. The poor performance and disciplinary investigation guides describe it as requiring procedures that follow natural justice and fair procedures. In plain terms, as the guides summarise it, that means telling the employee what the issue is, letting them respond, allowing representation, reaching an impartial decision and keeping adequate records. A manager who understands that sequence can handle a performance problem, a disciplinary matter and a policy question with the same underlying logic.

Managing poor performance: fair procedures

This guide is for managers and HR staff who need to address underperformance. It explains that the official pages it read do not set out a dedicated statutory poor performance procedure, and instead points to the WRC code and to Citizens Information guidance on capability and competence. It describes the difference between the two ideas, the importance of setting out the standard expected, and the need to give achievable improvements and a reasonable timeframe.

It then walks through a six-step approach, labelled as the authors' practical suggestions: be clear about the standard, raise it informally first, move to a formal stage if needed, set achievable targets, allow the employee to respond and be represented, and decide, communicate and offer an appeal. It also covers whether a written procedure is needed, how service length and probation affect the risk of a claim, a public-sector example of a staged process, and common mistakes. The guide is honest about gaps: it says the official pages it read set no dedicated statutory procedure, no timeframe for improvement, and it gives no award limits or claim time limits.

Disciplinary investigations and suspension

Our guide to disciplinary investigations and suspension is aimed at employers facing a serious allegation. It concentrates on the investigation stage and on the question of suspension. It explains how the WRC page describes the status of the code, the fair procedures principles, and what the code says about suspending an employee on full pay pending an investigation, as distinct from suspension without pay as a sanction.

It is candid that the sources it read do not set a maximum length for suspension, list the grounds that justify it or require a review, and it says so rather than inventing a rule. It summarises two published decisions in which delay and the impact of suspension were criticised, while stressing that they turn on their facts. Its practical sections, labelled as suggestions, cover choosing an impartial investigator, setting out allegations in writing, treating suspension as a considered decision with a review date, and keeping a separate investigation file. It also touches on outcomes, warnings, appeals, the unfair dismissal framework in outline, and records.

Employee handbook policies

Our guide to employee handbook policies is aimed at employers drafting or updating a staff handbook. Its starting point is that the pages it read do not say a handbook is itself legally required, but they do describe procedures and written terms that employers must have or are expected to have. It separates procedures the official pages say employers need, such as written grievance and disciplinary procedures, a safety statement, an anti-bullying policy and a harassment policy, from policies the codes and pages say employers should adopt, such as a right to disconnect policy, and from suggestions of the authors that are labelled as such.

It explains why the handbook matters legally: terms can be set out in a contract or handbook, and the guide reports that employers can change work practices without agreement while contractual terms need the employee's agreement. It adds suggestions on what to include, such as contacts, acceptable use, version control and a review date, and on keeping the handbook current. Like the other two, it says where the pages it read are silent, including that it did not open a longer data protection guidance note.

Choosing in-person employment law training (OUR SUGGESTIONS)

The following points are our suggestions and are not legal requirements. We make no claim here about what any particular provider teaches.

• Start from the problem, not the course title. Write down the two or three situations your managers face, such as a performance conversation, an investigation or a policy rewrite, and check whether a session addresses them.
• Ask where the content comes from. Look for sessions that refer to official sources such as WRC codes of practice and Citizens Information, and that say plainly when the law is silent.
• Ask for the date of the material. Employment rules and guidance pages are updated, so ask when the content was last reviewed.
• Look for practice, not only lectures. In-person training can allow role-play of difficult conversations and discussion of your own handbook wording. Ask whether that is part of the session.
• Check who it is for. A session aimed at HR specialists may differ from one aimed at first-time line managers.
• Plan the practicalities. Consider travel time for a Dublin-based team, cover for those attending and whether you want to send managers together so they leave with a shared approach.
• Plan the follow-up. Decide who will update your handbook or templates afterwards and when you will check that managers are using them.
• Keep a record. Note who attended and when, in a training record you can find later.
• Do not treat training as legal advice. For a live dispute, get advice on the specific facts.

A simple order of work (OUR SUGGESTIONS)

If you are starting from scratch, one sensible order is to review the handbook and procedures first, so that managers have a written process to follow. Then train managers on running performance conversations and investigations against that process. Finally, review a few real cases after a few months to see where the process worked and where it needs adjusting. This is a suggestion, not a standard.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Where should a new manager start with employment law?

If the immediate issue is an employee not meeting the standard, start with the poor performance guide. If the issue is a serious allegation, read the disciplinary investigation guide first. Both rest on the same fair procedures principles.

Is there a single legal rule for suspension?

The disciplinary investigation guide reports that the sources it read do not give a maximum length or list the grounds for suspension. It describes what the WRC code says about full-pay suspension pending an investigation. Check your own procedure and take advice.

Does the law require a staff handbook?

According to the handbook guide, the pages it read do not say a handbook is required as a single document. They do describe procedures and written terms that employers must or should have.

Can training replace legal advice?

No. These guides and any training session give general information. For a specific dispute, take advice on the facts.

Whichever topic you start with, the common message is the same: be clear, be fair, and keep a record.