Bright Contracts is a software package that has everything you need to create and manage a professional staff handbook and contracts of employment. Getting these in place has traditionally been an expensive, complicated and time-consuming process. Bright Contracts makes it quick and easy.
Without employee contracts in place, an employer is risking large settlements in the case of staff disputes, and fines in the case of regulatory inspections. Having contracts also clearly defines the contractual relationship between you and your employees. Bright Contracts is the easiest way to get sorted.
Single employer, unlimited employees | €249 |
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Multiple employers, unlimited employees | €349 |
Phone/email support | Free |
Price is per user and subject to VAT. Price covers 12 months full use from date of activation.
Let us show you around the software’s functionality and how to create and customise your personal contracts of employment and company handbook.
To book an online demo click here
Under the Employment Act 2019, it is now a criminal offence for employers not to have contracts of employment in place for their staff. Watch our 2 minute video to find out how Bright Contracts can help.
Our regular employment law webinars will keep you up to date with the topical HR issues that our employers face day to day.
To view our upcoming webinars click here
To view our webinars on demand click here
Bright Contracts is teeming with useful functionality, from the obvious to the obscure. Yet it delivers it all in a neat, easy to use package. You'll wonder how you ever managed without it.
Bright Contracts does not set a limit on the number of employees you can add. And there are no confusing price brackets that depend on the number of employees you have.
Use the suggested content or customise it to your needs. Add pre-defined sections or add your own proprietary sections. Re-arrange as required.
Create a contract for each employee and record when they are signed. Archive old contracts. Base one contract on another for rapid creation.
With full control over cover pages, logos, headers, footers, fonts, colours, and more, you can ensure your documents match your corporate identity, or just simply make them look how you want.
Before you print a handbook or contract, you can see an accurate on-screen preview of how it will look on page. Scroll, zoom and pan controls make it simple and flexible.
An employee is flagged red if he or she does not have a handbook or contract. An employee is flagged amber if he or she has an out of date handbook or soon to expire contract.
The summary screen gives you an overview of handbooks in use, recent handbook updates, who does and doesn't have a handbook, and who does and doesn't have a current signed contract.
Not everyone is an employment law expert. If you're not sure what to enter for a certain field, or you're not 100% sure what something means, click the handy tip icon for an inline explanation.
Employment law legislation changes over time. When it does, and the Bright Contracts handbook or contract template changes, you'll be made aware of the adjustment, which you can accept with a single click.
Expand the services you offer or add a new revenue stream to your business wih the Bureau version of Bright Contracts, which allows you to create handbooks and contracts for unlimited employers and employees.
Bright Contracts partners with professional bodies and groups to create bespoke contracts and handbooks. Industry customisation is an excellent value added member offering for any professional group.
The Maternity Protection Act 1994 to 2004 states that employees qualify for maternity leave including casual workers. Employees do not need to have completed a specific length of service to qualify. Contractors do not qualify for maternity leave.
The current entitlement under the statutory scheme is that an employee can avail of 26 weeks of ordinary maternity leave and 16 weeks of unpaid additional maternity leave. During the 26 weeks of maternity leave, 2 of these must be taken before the baby’s expected birth date and 4 weeks must be taken after the baby’s birth.
Pregnancy in the workplace
Once the pregnancy is confirmed in writing including details of anticipated due date and any relevant medical details, employers must allow employees to take reasonable time off to attend medical visits related to that pregnancy. Employees are required to give 2 weeks written notice in advance of each appointment and an employer can request to see the appointment card. There is no cap on the number of appointments that may be available or the extent to which an employee can take paid time off in relation to these appointments. Employees can take paid time off to attend one set of antenatal classes.
Fixed term employees are entitled to avail of the full statutory entitlement of maternity leave. If the contract of employment date of termination falls within the 26-week window, it is extended until the end of the 26 weeks.
Maternity benefit is not a break of service so employees accrue public holidays, annual leave etc. as well as being entitled to their full suite of rights as they would be if they were working normally.
Maternity leave can start automatically either if the employee is absent from work wholly or partly because of their pregnancy at any time from the beginning of the four weeks before the start of their expected week of childbirth or when the employee has given birth naturally at that before maternity leave kicks in.
The maternity rate benefit as it stands is €262 per week for 26 weeks. It is the duty of the employer to inform the employee when their maternity leave will come to an end. If the employer receives notice that the employee seeks to avail of the additional 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave, they would need to furnish the employee with the new end date and this notice is to be sent to the employee in writing within 28 days of receiving the initial notification. Employers are required to sign the MB 2 certificate as this is essential for the employee to avail of maternity benefits and return it to the employee.
A health and safety risk analysis must be conducted in relation to the employee intending on taking maternity leave and their workplace. Employers are required to identify any risk and either remove the risk or create an arrangement for the employee in which they are not exposed to this risk. Employees are covered by the protections of the Maternity Protection Act. If there are no options to accommodate an employee by removing the risk or creating new arrangements in the workplace, then the employer must give the employee health and safety leave from work which can continue until the beginning of maternity leave. The first three weeks of wages as part of health and safety leave must be paid by the employer. After this, the health and safety benefit is paid and depends on PRSI payments amongst other things.
Employees on maternity leave or additional maternity leave cannot be made redundant while they're on leave and if this happens the employee can bring an unfair dismissal claim to the WRC.
After the employee has given birth
After the employee has given birth and they seek to return to the workplace, the employee is entitled to return to the same position they held before maternity leave on the same terms and conditions. If circumstances in the workplace have changed and it's no longer possible to accommodate this, an employee has the right to a suitable alternative position. The work being done must be of the same kind that the employee did before availing of maternity leave.
Employees who are working and are breastfeeding are entitled to take one paid hour off work each day for the 104 weeks following the birth of a child. It can be taken in the examples below:
• One hour break
• Two 30 mins breaks
• Three 20 mins breaks
A private space if at all possible, should be provided for employees to avail of these breaks over the course of the entitlement.