People Matter - June 2026

The World Cup, GAA and Rugby workplace distractions

As you’ll have seen, with many of the kick-off times (e.g. England’s first kick off at 9pm UK time, and Scotland’s even worse at 2am), you’ll need to get a handle on footy fans’ attendance and capability to work, or else face 30 days of hurt whilst the World Cup is on.  Leinster play on Friday evening in the URC Final, and as the hunt for SAM and LIAM hots up, the highs and lows of winning and losing can fuel a celebration party or a drown the sorrows one!  Either way, challenges about availability for work and quality of work will pop up.

It is the biggest World Cup ever, with 48 countries participating. So fans of many countries will have a direct involvement, even if our own team is sadly not there. The risks are bleary-eyed employees showing up fatigued and ineffective or not showing up at all. 

By being proactive you can have it under control. Neither of the above scenarios are acceptable and your policies should already cover this. Remind your team of your standards prior to any trouble.

Annual leave is a good solution to a football fan who wants to immerse themselves in their team’s games: no need for them to set the alarm, or grind through the next day.

If it works for your business, you could also consider flexitime as an option; allowing staff to start a bit later in the day after a big match, so long as they make up the time.

While you need to maintain discipline, the World Cup is an excellent time to have some company fun and bring the team together too. From staples like a sweepstake to arranging a social event around a big game – especially if it is on a weekend!

If you do have staff letting the side down and you want to reach straight for a red card, pause. Call us first to ensure you follow the correct procedure. We can even help you manage the process if you need support.

A clear path to success?

In the battle for hiring the best staff, many things can stand you out from the crowd: high salaries, excellent employee benefits, flexible working options, interesting work…

And the list goes on. One thing not cited above is pay transparency. However, this has been revealed in a recent survey as high up the priority list of employees in 2026.

In a UK-based survey, 72% of employees stated that pay transparency was important or very important to them, when deciding to join or stay at an organisation.

Pay transparency doesn’t end with recruitment. Having pay scales for different roles so employees know how to progress is important. Those scales, of course, have to make sure that you offer equal pay for work of equal value. 

We can help by doing a job evaluation exercise across your company.

The Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015 are the main piece of legislation which governs equal pay, making it clear that men and women are entitled to equal pay for equal work.

Since then, gender pay gap rules require larger firms to publish gender pay gap data. This has been brought in incrementally, and now firms with 50 or more employees are required to comply.

The new EU Pay Transparency Directive goes further, including pay transparency in recruitment; strengthening employee rights to pay information; clear gender-neutral pay structures, and a ban on pay secrecy. It was meant to be implemented this June, but has been delayed by the government.

It all paints a picture of increasing scrutiny from both employees and legislators on pay transparency. 

Do you have an issue with equal pay? Or would you like to ensure you are following best practices? We can help you review your current arrangements and instil equal pay and pay transparency in your business: giving the desired clarity to regulators and talent.

Celebrating you!

The United Nations has got a day for your business: MSME Day on 27th June. That’s Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises Day.

Globally, according to the UN, businesses like yours account for 90% of companies, 60-70% of employment and 50% of GDP. And, more locally in Ireland, we know that they play a vital role.

You’re so important but we know that many SMEs are facing very difficult conditions out there at the moment, from rocketing energy bills to trade tariffs; and increasing red tape.

Solid HR practices are a bread-and-butter activity you can engage with to give you consistency through retention, productivity through performance management, whilst avoiding pitfalls. With reach across the country, we are here to help you through the tough times and the good. If you need extra help with HR, let us suggest an appropriate solution for you.

HR + H&S = success

HR and health and safety share more than similar initials. They are also compliance functions within business that, when properly engaged with, can add real value and productivity to a company.

You are reading this within an HR newsletter, so hopefully you get the value of good HR. 

But a recent survey found that over half of workers (56%) said that they felt health and safety in their organisation was a box ticking exercise rather than a meaningful priority. More worryingly, one in six workers (and one in three 18–24-year-olds!) had signed an NDA after a workplace accident.

Just as good HR can save you from WRC adjudication, enhance performance and improve workplace culture; so too can good H&S reduce absence due to sickness or injury, keep people safe, and lower the risk of costly and distracting prosecution.

Alongside The HR Dept we have The H&S Dept which provides a similar no-nonsense approach for SMEs keen to follow the rules as pragmatically as possible. To find out more, get in touch.

Mama Mia! Dog Day Afternoon in Italy

Pets are part of the family, right? So what happens when one is so ill that an employee requests to stay home to care for it? 

Right now, how you handle it will be down to your discretion. But in Italy, a court has been weighing up animal neglect versus employment responsibilities, and sided with employees taking paid time off to care for a sick pet. It dates all the way back to a case in 2017 when an employee missed shifts to nurse her dog.

It is case law for now, but the Italian Parliament is considering legislation. Barking mad or purrfectly reasonable? What do you think?  Is this just Pasta the Pale?