01_Contract of employment (definitions, synonyms, word formation)

adoptive leave

Adoptive leave is a leave from work for an adoptive mother or sole male adopter after the adoption of a child.

be made redundant

having lost your job because your employer no longer needs you

agency worker

someone who is employed by an agency to work for another person or company.

restrictive covenant

a formal written agreement in which sb agrees not to do particular things

commencement

the beginning of sth (rozpoczęcie)

wage

a fixed regular payment earned for work or services, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis (płaca, pensja, zarobek tygodniowy, zapłata)

equal-opportunities employer

an employer who agrees not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, or age

closing down

If a business or organization closes down or someone closes it down, it stops

payroll

a list of a company's employees and the amount of money they are to be paid (lista płac)

allegation

a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof (zarzut).

at a last resort

if all other methods fail

make ends meet

earn just enough money to live on

provide child-care facilities

ensure child care services such as nursery

employment tribunal

in Britain, a special type of court that decides legal problems between employees and their employers

put sth in place

implement sth

under duress

to do sth under the threat, for example to sign a contract

annual leave

Annual leave is paid time off work for holidays, rest or recreation.

Benefit in Kind (BIK)

A term used by Revenue to refer to a taxable non-cash payment to an employee, for example, the use of a car.

breaks

Short periods of time time for rest and refreshment taken during working hours.

bullying

In the workplace bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour by one or more people against another person or people.

career break

An unpaid period of time away from your employment which can be for family reasons or study, which is approved by your employer.

carer's leave

Carer's leave is leave from work to care for someone who is deemed by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection as being in need of full-time care and attention.

casual worker

A person employed as required without fixed hours or attendance arrangements.

code of practice

A code of practice sets out good practice in employment but is not usually legally binding.

collective agreements

Agreements negotiated between unions and employers about terms and conditions of employment.

common law

Law derived from custom and court decisions, rather that legislation.

comparator

A comparator means a comparable employee who is doing the same or similar work as a part-time worker or someone on a fixed-term contract.

contract of employment

A contract of employment exists if someone is offered work in return for wages and accepts the offer.

continuity of employment or service

This means the employee's service or employment is unbroken and can help you qualify for certain employment rights such as redundancy.

constructive dismissal

Constructive dismissal is when you terminate your contract of employment because of your employer's behaviour.

Critical Skills Employment Permit

is an employment permit for occupations with an annual salary above €60,000 and for some occupations with an annual salary of €30,000 to €60,000.

custom and practice

A term of employment set by normal behaviour in a workplace rather than by legislation or a written contract. One example is an informal ten-minute coffee break at 11am.

deductions

Deductions are amounts taken off your pay and listed on your payslip, for example, PRSI.

disciplinary procedure

Sets out in writing how the employer will deal with the alleged shortcomings of an employee.

discrimination

Treating one person less favourably than another person. Discrimination at work is illegal if it is based on gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller community.

dismissal

This occurs when your contract of employment is ended. If you are dismissed by your employer you may be able to claim unfair dismissal.

domestic worker

A domestic worker is someone who is employed to work in a private home.

duty of care

your employer owes you a duty of care to provide a safe workplace and this is implied by law in your contract of employment. It means that you should not have to work in unsafe or unhealthy conditions.

employee

An employee is someone works for someone else in return for payment. There is no definition of 'employee' in employment law. The Code of Practice in determining Employment Status (pdf) contains criteria which can be used to clarify whether a person is employed or self-employed. The employment status of a person is generally determined by Revenue or the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

employment permit

Most non-EEA nationals must have an employment permit in order to take up employment to Ireland.

Employment Regulation Order (ERO)

EROs are negotiation by Joint Labour Committees to regulate conditions of employment and pay in certain employment sectors.

fixed-term contract

A fixed-term contract is a contract of employment which ends on an agreed date.

force majeure leave

Leave from work for an employee for urgent reasons because of the illness or injury of a family member.

freedom of information (FOI)

FOI legislation allows you to access records held by government departments an certain public bodies.

General Employment Permit

A General Employment Permit is a type of employment permit for certain occupations a minimum annual salary of €30,000 and for a few jobs with salaries below €30,000.

gross misconduct

Blatant misbehaviour at work such as assault, stealing, bullying or harassment.

holiday

A holiday is paid time off work for rest and recreation. It can mean either annual leave or a public holiday.

grievance procedure

This sets out how to complain about something in your employment terms and conditions which affects you.

jobsharing

A type of flexible work where two people share the same employment position.

Joint Labour Committees (JLCs)

JLCs regulate conditions of employment in certain employment sectors. Their agreements are called Employment Regulation Orders (EROs).

harassment

Under employment equality legislation harassment on any of the 9 discriminatory grounds is illegal. It is defined as behaviour "which has the purpose of effect of violating a person's dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for the person."

lay off

Lay off is when you are let go from your job temporarily as your employers has no work for you.

labour market needs test

This is a requirement for most General Employment Permit applications. It means advertising a vacancy with the EURES employment network for 8 weeks and in local and national newspapers for 6 days.

leave

Permission to be absent from work. Under employment rights legislation there are statutory entitlements to annual leave, maternity leave, adoptive leave, parental leave and carer's leave.

maternity leave

Maternity leave is leave from work for a woman who is pregnant or who has just given birth.

migrant worker

Someone who is not a national of the country where they are working.

minimum wage

This is minimum hourly rate of pay. Most employees have a legal right to the national minimum wage (NMW).

night work

Under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 night work means work done between midnight and 7 am.

notice

Notice is an announcement by the employee or employer that the employment contract will end on a certain date.

open-ended contract

This is a contract of employment which continues until the employer or employee ends it. It is known as a contract of indefinite duration. This is what employees often refer to as a permanent job.

P45

When you leave your job your employer gives you a P45 form. It is a certificate stating your pay, tax, USC and PRSI contributions deducted from the start of the tax year to the last day of your job.

overtime

Overtime is work done outside normal working hours.

P60

At the end of each tax year your employer gives you a P60 form. It is a certificate stating your pay, tax, USC and PRSI contributions deducted during the year.

parental leave

Parental leave is leave from work for parents of children aged under 8 (16 if the child has a disability).

part-time worker

an employee whose normal hours of work are less than the normal hours of work of a comparable full-time employee.

paternity leave

Paternity leave is leave from work for a parent (other than the mother) following the birth or adoption of a child. There is a statutory entitlement to paternity leave in respect of births or adoptions that occur on or after 1 September 2016.

PAYE

PAYE (Pay As You Earn) is the system where tax is deducted from your wages by your employer and sent to the Revenue Commissioners.

pension

A pension is a payment from the State or a private company to someone who is retired.

PPS Number

Your PPS (Personal Public Service) Number is your unique reference number for all dealings with Government departments and other public bodies such as the Revenue Commissioners.

probationary period

A specified period at the start of an employment to see if the employee is suitable for the job.

PRSA

PRSAs (Personal Retirement Savings Accounts) are a type of pension arrangement.

PRSI

PRSI (Pay Related Social Insurance) means the social insurance contributions deducted from your wages. Your PRSI contributions help you to qualify for social welfare payments such as Illness Benefit.

public holidays

There are 9 public holidays each year, for example, Christmas Day. The statutory public holiday entitlement for employees is: either a paid day off, an extra day of annual leave or a day's pay.

redundancy

Redundancy is when your job ceases to exist because of lack of work or your company closing down.

Registered Employment Agreement (REA)

REAs set out pay and conditions of employment in certain employment sectors. They are collective agreements which have been registered with the Labour Court.

rest period

A rest period is any time that is not working time.

self-employed

A self-employed person is someone who carries on their own business and is not an employee.

Sectoral Employment Order (SEO)

An SEO is made following a recommendation from the Labour Court on matters of pay, pension or sick pay scheme for workers in an economic sector.

sexual harassment

Unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature that affects the dignity of women and men at work.

short time

This is where your pay or hours reduced to less than half your normal weekly amount because there is less work to be done.

Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit

A Dependant/Partner/Spouse Employment Permit is issued to the spouse, civil partner, partner or dependant of a Critical Skills Employment Permit holder or researcher.

specified purpose contract

A contract of employment which ends when a specific task is completed, or when a specific event occurs.

statutory entitlement

Legal right governed by law.

transfer of business

it happens when a company is taken over by another or when two companies join together.

unfair dismissal

If your employer terminates your contract of employment, your dismissal is presumed to be unfair unless your employer can justify it on fair grounds.

victimisation

Victimisation or penalisation is unfair treatment of an employee by an employer because of some action the worker has taken, such as claiming the minimum wage.

trade union

A trade union is an organisation which negotiates with an employer for better pay and conditions.

working hours

This means the time when you are working. For most employees the legal maximum average working week is 48 hours.

written terms of employment

Although your contract of employment does not have to be written, you have a legal right to a written statement of certain employment terms.

zero-hours contract

A zero-hours contract is a type of employment contract where the employee makes themselves available for work for a specified number of hours and get paid for a proportion of those hours even if not required to work.

Statutory Sick Pay

pay given to an employee in sick leave. It is paid by an employer for up to 28 weeks.

gross misconduct

blatant misbehaviour at work such as assault, stealing, bullying or harassment. It is a serious matter that can lead to demoting or even dismissing an employee.

well-drafted

each written employment contract should be well-drafted and implemented.

statement

a define or clear expression of something in speech or writing.

statutory

required, permitted, or enacted by a statute.

non-poaching clause

Non-poaching clause prevents the employee from working for clients with whom they were in contact before the termination.

termination

is an employee's departure from a job and the end of an employee's duration with an employer.

dismissal

it is the termination of employment by an employer against will of the employee.

a contract of employment

is an agreement between an employer and employee and is the basis of the employment relationship.

confidentiality

the state of keeping or being kept secret or private.