Legal obligations
Meet the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts, the Organisation of Working Time Act and the policies Irish law expects in writing.
Your rules, in black and white
An employee handbook that keeps everyone consistent
A handbook is where Irish employment law expects you to put your rules and procedures in writing, and where a WRC adjudicator looks first when a dismissal or grievance is challenged. PurpleTree drafts, reviews and keeps your policies current with Irish law, so every manager applies the same fair process and your business is protected from day one.
Handshake rules stop working as you grow.
Why Irish Businesses Need Formal HR Policies
Policies set the rules; procedures show how to follow them. Without both, decisions get made inconsistently, and inconsistency is what turns a routine disciplinary or grievance into a WRC complaint or an Employment Equality Act claim. A handbook is how an Irish employer puts the whole framework in one place, so every manager applies the same fair process and every employee knows where they stand.
PurpleTree drafts legally compliant, sector-specific policies your managers can read and apply, building them around how your business actually runs rather than handing over a template. For a wider view of where these documents fit, read our overview of the biggest HR challenges facing Irish SMEs.
Lower WRC risk
Documented, consistently applied procedures are the single best defence against an unfair dismissal or grievance claim.
Consistent managers
Give every manager one framework for discipline, leave, absence and grievances, so outcomes do not depend on who is handling them.
Written standards
Back day-to-day advice with policies staff can read, acknowledge and be held to.
Every situation covered before it arises.
What a Compliant Irish Employee Handbook Contains
An employee handbook Irish employers can rely on is more than a welcome pack. It collects the policies and procedures that Irish employment law expects you to have in writing and apply consistently. The exact mix depends on your sector and headcount, but most compliant handbooks are built from the same core. We assemble yours around your business and keep each policy anchored to the legislation behind it, including the WRC disciplinary and grievance procedures every adjudicator measures you against.
Disciplinary & grievance
Procedures aligned with the WRC Code of Practice (S.I. 146/2000), the standard the Workplace Relations Commission judges a fair process against.
Dignity at work
Bullying, harassment and equality policies covering the nine protected grounds under the Employment Equality Acts.
Working time & leave
Annual leave, rest breaks and public holidays recorded the way a WRC inspector expects to see them.
Sick leave & Statutory Sick Pay
A sick pay policy that reflects current Statutory Sick Pay entitlements and your own occupational scheme.
Family & flexible leave
Maternity, paternity and parental leave, plus the right to request remote and flexible working.
Data protection & records
A GDPR policy for employee records, with lawful handling, consents and retention rules an SME is still bound by.
Written around how you actually work.
The Documents We Draft for You
If your business has no formal policies, or your handbook has not been opened since it was written, we build the documents you actually need from the ground up.
A handbook that quotes superseded entitlements is a liability, because it commits you in writing to a process the law no longer supports. We draft each policy so the people enforcing it can actually follow it, tie it to the legislation behind it, and make sure the contract and the handbook say the same thing.
Outdated written terms are among the most common and most easily proven WRC complaints, so we start by getting the foundations right. See our employment contracts service for the terms that sit alongside the handbook, and our guide to the contract mistakes that lead to WRC claims.
- Code of conduct and dignity at work policies
- Bullying, harassment and grievance procedures aligned with the WRC Code of Practice
- Disciplinary procedures that meet Unfair Dismissals Acts requirements
- Leave policies covering annual, Statutory Sick Pay and family leave, ready for a WRC inspection
- GDPR and data protection policies for employee records
Never caught out when the rules shift.
Keeping Your Policies Current as the Law Changes
Irish employment law rarely stands still, and a policy that was compliant two years ago may now be wrong. Statutory Sick Pay, the right to request remote and flexible working under the Work Life Balance and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023, gender pay gap reporting and the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions Regulations have all rewritten parts of the standard handbook in recent years.
PurpleTree reviews your existing policies against the current law, flags exactly where you are exposed, and updates the documents that need it, rather than reprinting the whole handbook for the sake of it.
We then keep them current with scheduled reviews and alerts when legislation moves, so your framework stays sound as your business grows. Our guides to sick leave mistakes and working time errors show where outdated policies most often catch employers out.
- Statutory Sick Pay and leave entitlement changes reflected in your policies
- Working time, rest break and annual leave rules kept current
- Remote and flexible working request procedures added where you do not have them
- EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions requirements built in
- Scheduled reviews and alerts when the law changes
Roll them out so they actually hold.
Rolling Out Policies So They Stand Up at the WRC
A policy only protects you if your staff have actually received it and your managers apply it consistently. At the WRC, an employer who cannot show that an employee was given a policy, or that a procedure was followed the same way for everyone, is on weak ground regardless of what the document says.
PurpleTree helps you communicate new and updated policies properly, record that employees have acknowledged them, and train your managers to apply discipline, grievance and absence procedures the way the handbook describes.
Where managers carry day-to-day responsibility for people, our manager training turns the written policy into consistent practice, and our guide to running a fair disciplinary procedure shows what that looks like on the ground.
- Clear communication of new and updated policies to all staff
- Acknowledgement records that hold up if a policy is relied on at the WRC
- Manager training on applying procedures consistently
- Policies made accessible through handbooks and digital platforms
Drafted by people based near you.
Why Choose PurpleTree for HR Policies in Ireland
PurpleTree is an Irish HR consultancy based in Longford, advising employers across the country on the policies and procedures Irish law actually requires. Your handbook is built around your sector and headcount by people who know Irish employment law and WRC practice, rather than adapted from a UK template.
When you call, you speak to the consultant who knows your business and your documents. For employers who want the handbook drafted, kept current and backed by day-to-day advice under one fixed monthly fee, policy work is included in our outsourced HR retainer.
Standalone handbook projects are scoped and the cost agreed in writing in advance, rather than billed by the open-ended hour. See how we price HR support before you commit.
- Irish law, not a UK templatePolicies grounded in Irish employment law and WRC practice, built for how your business runs.
- Documents people actually readHandbooks your employees understand and your managers can actually follow.
- Included in your retainerOn an outsourced HR plan, drafting and ongoing updates sit within your monthly fee.
Get your employee handbook in order
Tell us your headcount, your sector and what you already have in place. PurpleTree will review your handbook and policies, tell you plainly where you are exposed, and put compliant documents in place that protect your business. See how we price HR support, or for the handbook plus day-to-day advice under one fee, look at outsourced HR.
Free 5-minute HR Health Check
See where your business stands before the WRC does
Answer 40 straightforward questions on contracts, working time, pay, leave and policies, and get a clear read on where your compliance gaps sit and what to fix first.
Common questions from employers
There is no single law that says you must have a handbook, but Irish employment law does require you to put a great deal in writing and to follow it. You must issue core written terms within five days and the full statement within one month under the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts, and the WRC Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures (S.I. 146/2000) expects documented procedures. A handbook is how most employers meet those obligations in one place. Without one, a WRC adjudicator is far more likely to find that a dismissal or grievance was handled unfairly because there was no clear, communicated procedure to follow.
At a minimum: disciplinary and grievance procedures aligned with the WRC Code of Practice, a dignity at work policy covering bullying and harassment, a sick leave policy reflecting Statutory Sick Pay, annual leave and working time, family leave such as maternity, paternity and parental leave, a data protection policy for employee records under GDPR, and a remote or flexible working policy. The right mix depends on your sector and headcount, which is why we build the handbook around your business rather than handing over a template.
A policy sets the rule or standard, for example that bullying will not be tolerated. A procedure sets out the steps for applying it: how an employee raises a complaint, how it is investigated, who decides, and how an appeal works. The WRC looks closely at procedure, and many claims are decided not on whether the outcome was right but on whether a fair, documented process was followed. You need both, and they need to be consistent with each other.
It depends on how the handbook is drafted and introduced. Many policies are best kept non-contractual so you can update them as the law changes without renegotiating every contract, while the disciplinary and grievance procedures are usually referenced in the contract itself. We draft the contract and handbook to work together, make clear which parts are contractual, and issue them so employees acknowledge receipt, which matters if a policy is ever relied on at the WRC.
At least once a year, and immediately whenever the law changes. Statutory Sick Pay, the right to request remote and flexible working, gender pay gap reporting and the EU Transparent and Predictable Working Conditions rules have all reshaped the standard handbook in recent years. An out-of-date handbook can be worse than none, because it commits you in writing to a process you are no longer entitled to follow. We flag the changes that affect you and update only the policies that need it.
Yes, they are different documents. The written statement of terms is the contractual information each employee must receive: core terms within five days and the full statement within one month under the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts. The handbook sets out the policies and procedures that apply across the workforce. Failing to issue compliant written terms is one of the most common and most easily proven WRC complaints, so we make sure both are in place and consistent with each other. See our employment contracts service.
You are on weak ground. The WRC Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures (S.I. 146/2000) sets the standard adjudicators measure you against, and the Unfair Dismissals Acts allow a dismissal to be found unfair on procedure alone, even where the underlying reason was sound. A clear, written, consistently applied procedure is the single most effective protection against this kind of claim. If a claim has already arrived, see our WRC representation service.
We scope handbook and policy work to your headcount, sector and what you already have in place, and agree the cost with you in advance rather than billing by the open-ended hour. For employers on an outsourced HR retainer, contract and handbook drafting and ongoing updates are included in the monthly fee. See how we price HR support, or talk to us for a tailored quote.