Insights Employment Law & Benefits
Employment A-Z Glossary
Jan 28, 2025

Our Employment A-Z glossary provides clear, concise definitions of key terms in employment law. Designed to support HR professionals and business leaders, it explains complex legal concepts in plain English, ensuring you have the information needed to navigate workplace challenges with confidence.
- Annual leave:
Paid time off work to be used over the course of a leave year. Full-time employees are generally entitled to a minimum of 4 working weeks of annual leave per year, calculated based on their hours worked.
- Auto-Enrolment: Auto-Enrolment refers to the new Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme, called My Future Fund. Employees that are not paying into a pension, earn more than €20,000 per year and are aged between 23 and 60 will be automatically included in the scheme from September 30 2025. Under the scheme, the employee, employer and State will all pay a certain amount into the employee’s pension fund.
- Benefit in kind: These are non-cash benefits provided by an employer to an employee which are chargeable to tax e.g. car allowance.
- Collective Bargaining:
The process through which employers and trade unions (representing employees) negotiate and agree upon employment terms and conditions, such as wages, working hours, benefits, and workplace policies.
- Compensatory Damages:
Monetary awards intended to compensate a plaintiff for actual losses suffered.
- Confidentiality Agreement: An agreement that prevents a party or the parties from disclosing certain defined sensitive information. Affected by the Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024 (See: Non-Disclosure Agreement).
- Constructive Dismissal:
This occurs when an employee resigns in circumstances where, due to the conduct of their employer in creating an intolerable work environment, the employee had no choice but to resign.
- Contract of Employment:
A formal agreement between an employer and an employee that outlines the terms and conditions of employment.
- Counterclaim:
A claim by a defendant for relief or remedy against a plaintiff and maintained in the same action/case.
- Critical Skills Occupation List:
A government-defined list of occupations where there is a shortage of skilled workers, intended to attract highly qualified non-EU nationals to fill these roles. It is used as a basis for issuing Critical Skills Employment Permits, which offer a pathway to permanent residency for workers in these critical fields.
- Disciplinary Procedures:
A structured procedure for employers to follow when investigating and dealing with concerns regarding an employee's conduct, attendance or performance.
- Dismissal:
The termination of an employee's contract of employment by the employer.
- Domestic Violence Leave:
Domestic violence leave is a statutory leave that allows employees to take up to five days of paid leave within a 12-month period if they are experiencing domestic violence, or supporting someone who is.
- Employee Assistance Programme:
Also known as an EAP, this workplace initiative is provided by the employer to assist employees facing challenges such as emotional difficulties, job-related stress, marital issues, or conflicts in the workplace.
- Employee Benefits:
Non-wage/salary compensation or perks provided to employees, such as discounted gym memberships, subsidised meals etc.
- Employment Agency:
An agency that usually provides temporary workers for businesses needing short-term staffing solutions without long-term commitments.
- Employment permit: A non-EEA National, unless exempted, must have a valid employment permit in order to work in Ireland.
- Equitable Relief: A discretionary judicial remedy based on notions of fairness and justice. Equitable remedies can be distinguished from common law legal remedies, which are available as of right to a successful applicant, for example, damages.
- Fixed Term Contract: A contract of employment with a specific end date or that culminates when a project is completed.
- Forced Labour:
A work or service which is exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.
- Fore Majeure Clause: A contractual provision that relieves parties from liability in case of extraordinary events beyond their control.
- Free Movement of Workers:
A fundamental right of EU citizens that allows citizens to move freely across borders to work in other EU member states.
- Garden Leave:
When an employee is asked to remain at home and not to come into work after resigning or having been provided with notice that their employment is terminated. They will still be on payroll and receive their pay as normal during this time.
- Gig Economy:
A labour market characterised by short-term, flexible or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs.
- Grievance Procedures:
A structured procedure for employers to follow when employees who have a problem or concern about their work, working environment or working relationships raise that problem.
- Independent Contractor:
A worker paid by a business to carry out specific tasks but who is not an employee. An independent contractor is usually in business for themselves and an employer has far less control over an independent contractor than they would have over an employee. Recently discussed in the Karshan case.
- Injunction Pending Appeal: A temporary order prohibiting an action until an appeal is resolved.
- Mandatory Retirement:
A policy that requires employees to retire at a specific age, as specified in their employment contracts. Recently discussed in the Mallon case.
- Maternity leave:
Maternity leave is the period of time a person takes off work after giving birth to a child. In Ireland there is a statutory entitlement which enables employees to take 26 weeks of maternity leave, during which time the employee may qualify to receive maternity benefit from the State. This is followed by an optional 16 weeks of unpaid leave. Employers may decide to "top-up" the maternity benefit received from the State, but this is entirely at the employer's discretion.
- National Minimum Wage:
The legally mandated minimum hourly pay rate that employers must pay their employees. This is currently €13.50 per hour (subject to exceptions for people aged under 20).
- Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA): A legally binding agreement used to protect confidential information. NDAs are sometimes used by employers to prevent employees or former employees from sharing sensitive information about the business or, in some cases, to settle disputes or grievances. Affected by the Maternity Protection, Employment Equality and Preservation of Certain Records Act 2024.
- Notice:
A formal communication from an employer to an employee regarding information related to their job or employment conditions.
- Outsourcing:
The practice of contracting out certain business functions or services to an external third party rather than handling them internally within the organisation.
- Overtime:
Hours of work in excess of normal hours for which a premium payment may be paid by agreement.
- Parental leave:
Allows parents to take unpaid leave (up to 26 weeks) from work to spend time looking after their children. This leave must be taken before the child's 12th birthday (or 16th birthday if the child has a disability or long-term illness).
- Performance Review:
An assessment process where an employee's job performance is evaluated against established criteria over a specific period.
- Probation Period:
A trial period at the start of an employee's contract, typically lasting between three and six months, during which the employer assesses the employee’s performance, skills, and suitability for the role. During this period, both the employer and employee can terminate the employment with less notice than would typically be required for permanent employment.
- Protected Disclosure: A protected disclosure is the disclosure by a worker of relevant information that came to their attention in connection with their employment, and which they reasonably believe tends to show one or more relevant wrongdoings. The definition of relevant wrongdoing contains eight types of wrongdoing, including: that an offence has been or is likely to be committed; that a person has failed, is failing or is likely to fail with a legal obligation, other than one arising from a contract of employment; and that the health and safety of any individual has been, is being or is likely to be endangered. Making a protected disclosure is also sometimes referred to as 'whistleblowing'. Protection is provided under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and the Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act 2022, which transposes the EU Whistleblowing Directive into Irish law.
- Quid Pro Quo:
A Latin term meaning "something for something," referring to an exchange where one thing is given in return for another.
- Reasonable Accomodation:
Changes made to the workplace environment or job role, or supports offered to the employee, intended to accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities or special requirements.
- Recusal:
The withdrawal of an individual from taking part in a disciplinary hearing, grievance procedure, appeal etc due to potential bias or conflict of interest.
- Remuneration:
The total compensation that an employee receives for their work or services.
- Retirement Age:
This refers to the age at which an employee is expected to cease employment, either because it is specified in their contract or by agreement with their employer.
- Right to Request Remote Working: Employees have the legal right to request a remote working arrangement where they work from a location other than their employer’s workplace/office. The right does not extend to an entitlement to work remotely and a request may be refused by the employer, under certain circumstances.
- Sick pay: Sick pay is paid by an employer when an employee is unable to work due to illness or injury. Sick pay is different to illness benefit, which is paid by the State.
- Statute of Limitations:
Time limits within which legal proceedings must be initiated after an event occurs.
- Statutory Redundancy Payment: The minimum payment owed to employees made redundant, calculated based on length of service and pay.
- Statutory Rights:
Legal rights granted by law to employees, including minimum wage, holiday entitlement, and protection against unfair dismissal.
- Succession planning: The process of identifying and developing employees to fill leadership positions within the organisation.
- Termination Letter:
A formal document issued by an employer notifying an employee of their dismissal from the company.
- Unconscionable Contract: A contract that is deemed so unfair, one-sided, or exploitative that it would be unjust to enforce it. This doctrine typically arises when there is a significant imbalance of power between the parties, and one party takes advantage of the other’s vulnerability, lack of knowledge, or financial distress.
- Voluntary Redundancy:
Offering employees the option to voluntarily leave employment, usually in exchange for an agreed redundancy payment.
- Waiver:
The relinquishing, renouncing, disclaiming, forbearance or abandonment of a claim to a right or benefit.
- Work-Life Balance Policy: Guidelines established by employers aimed at promoting a healthy balance between professional responsibilities and personal life commitments for employees.
- WRC:
The Workplace Relations Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland. The WRC's core services include the inspection of employment rights compliance, the provision of information, the processing of employment agency and protection of young persons (employment) licences and the provision of mediation, conciliation, facilitation, adjudication and advisory services.
- Zero-Hour Contracts:
Arrangements where employers have no obligation to provide minimum working hours, but employees must be available for work.
- Zero-Tolerance Policies:
Strict rules prohibiting specified misconduct without exceptions.
For more information and expert advice, please contact a member of our Employment Law & Benefits team.
The content of this glossary is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other advice.
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