Day-one written statement
UK law requires a written statement of employment particulars from the first day, with content rules that differ from the Irish five-day and one-month statement.
UK law isn't Irish law
HR support for your Ireland to UK expansion
UK employment law differs significantly from Irish law. PurpleTree provides hands-on HR and compliance support so your Ireland to UK expansion is handled correctly from day one.
The gaps that catch new employers out.
Key UK vs Irish Employment Law Differences
Despite a shared common law heritage, UK employment law has diverged from Irish law in critical areas, and the gap has widened since Brexit. Employers entering the UK have to navigate these differences from the first hire to avoid tribunal claims and compliance failures. UK employment law is also under active reform, with day-one rights expanding, so current local advice matters more than a one-off setup.
Employment Tribunals
UK claims go to an Employment Tribunal, not the WRC, with ACAS early conciliation as a mandatory first step and different time limits and remedies.
Statutory leave and pay
Distinct rules for annual leave, Statutory Sick Pay, maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, none of which mirror their Irish equivalents.
Pension auto-enrolment
UK auto-enrolment has been mandatory for years, with set minimum contributions and ongoing duties that differ from Ireland's auto-enrolment regime.
ACAS Codes and UK GDPR
Fair process in the UK follows the ACAS Code rather than Ireland's SI 146, and employee data is governed by UK GDPR after post-Brexit divergence.
Right to work checks
UK employers must run prescribed right to work checks, including digital share-code checks, before employment starts, with civil penalties for failures.
One relationship across both your markets.
How PurpleTree Supports Your UK Expansion
PurpleTree provides end-to-end HR support for Irish businesses opening operations or hiring staff in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. We start with a compliance gap analysis of where your Irish framework meets UK requirements and where it falls short, then handle contract drafting, policy adaptation, UK payroll setup guidance, and ongoing employment law advice as your UK headcount grows. You keep one HR relationship across both jurisdictions rather than stitching together separate advisers in each market.
- Compliance gap analysis comparing your Irish framework to UK requirements
- UK employment contracts and a written statement of particulars for each hire
- UK payroll setup guidance, including HMRC employer registration
- Ongoing employment law advice as your UK team grows
Each market covered correctly, not just copied.
Adapting Irish HR Policies for the UK
Lifting Irish policies straight into the UK leads to non-compliance and potential tribunal claims. UK law has distinct requirements around ACAS dispute resolution, family-friendly leave, working time, and UK GDPR. The working time rules you already apply in Ireland do not carry across unchanged, and UK fair-process expectations follow the ACAS Code rather than Irish practice. PurpleTree adapts your Irish HR framework into a compliant UK policy suite so each jurisdiction is covered correctly.
- Review of Irish policies against UK employment legislation.
- Drafting UK-specific HR policies aligned with ACAS Codes and UK GDPR.
- UK Employee Handbook reflecting local laws and terminology.
Run both workforces from one system.
UK Payroll, Benefits, and Cross-Border HR Management
Setting up compliant UK payroll is a critical early step, involving HMRC registration for PAYE, National Insurance Contributions, and auto-enrolment pension duties. Managing a workforce across Ireland and the UK is easier with the right technology: specialist HR software lets you manage contracts, policies, leave entitlements, and compliance records for both jurisdictions from one platform.
- HMRC employer registration for PAYE and National Insurance.
- Competitive UK benefits packages including pensions and private health.
- Centralised HR data management for Irish and UK employees.
- Digital distribution of UK-specific policies with employee sign-off.
- UK leave management compliant with local statutory entitlements.
- Audit-ready records for Employment Tribunal or HMRC scrutiny.
One team holding both countries together.
Why Irish Employers Run Their UK HR Through PurpleTree
Managing people in Ireland and the UK at once is where cross-border HR usually goes wrong, because each jurisdiction has its own contracts, deadlines, and forums. PurpleTree gives you one Longford-based team across both. We keep your Irish obligations current while building out a compliant UK function, and we handle the same workforce on one set of records through specialist HR software.
If your move runs the other way as well, our UK to Ireland HR support covers Irish setup, and outsourced HR wraps the day-to-day for both teams. We scope the work to your expansion and agree the fee in writing in advance, so the cost is clear before we start.
- One Longford-based team across Irish and UK employment law
- Both jurisdictions managed on a single set of HR records
- Scope and fee agreed in writing in advance
- A named consultant who knows your business in both markets
Ready to Expand?
Contact PurpleTree for hands-on Ireland to UK expansion HR support, and see our HR support pricing. We make cross-border compliance straightforward so you can focus on growth. Whether you need help with employment contracts, TUPE transfers, or full strategic HR consulting, our team is ready to help.
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
Not necessarily. Some Irish businesses employ UK-based staff through a branch or a UK subsidiary, and in some cases directly, but you will almost always need to register as an employer with HMRC and operate UK payroll. The right structure depends on tax, permanent-establishment and commercial factors, so we handle the HR and employment-compliance side and coordinate with your accountant or tax adviser on the corporate setup.
No. UK law requires a written statement of employment particulars from the first day, with content rules that differ from the Irish five-day and one-month statement, and UK statutory entitlements, fair-process expectations and data rules all diverge from Irish law. Reusing Irish contracts creates compliance gaps and tribunal exposure. We adapt your framework into compliant UK contracts and a UK handbook. See employment contracts.
The WRC is Ireland's first-instance forum for employment complaints. UK claims go to an Employment Tribunal instead, with ACAS early conciliation as a mandatory first step, different time limits, and a different remedies regime. We brief you on how UK claims run and keep your documentation tribunal-ready so a complaint does not catch you unprepared.
No, the entitlements differ. UK statutory paid annual leave is 5.6 weeks and can include bank holidays, while Ireland provides four working weeks under the Organisation of Working Time Act plus separate public holidays. Statutory sick pay, family leave and pension rules also differ between the two systems. We map each entitlement to the correct jurisdiction so nobody is under or over paid.
UK pension auto-enrolment has been mandatory for years. You must assess your workforce, automatically enrol eligible staff into a qualifying scheme, pay at least the minimum employer contribution and manage opt-outs and re-enrolment. This is a different regime from Ireland's auto-enrolment, and our guide to auto-enrolment in Ireland explains the Irish side for comparison.
Yes. UK employers must complete prescribed right to work checks before employment starts, which now usually means a digital share-code check or a check through an approved identity service provider. Getting it wrong carries civil penalties, so we build the correct check into your UK onboarding process from the first hire.
Yes. Specialist HR software lets you manage contracts, leave, records and compliance for your Irish and UK employees from one platform, with the correct policies applied to each jurisdiction. See our HR software and outsourced HR services for how the day-to-day is covered across both teams.
We scope the work to your headcount and the stage of your expansion, then agree the fee in writing before we start, so the cost is clear in advance rather than billed by the open-ended hour. For the HR software element, the Time and Attendance tier starts from €8 per employee per month and the full HRIS from €14 per employee per month. See how we price HR support and talk to us about your plans at contact.