Conference Chairperson & Opening Remarks

Fredericka Sheppard, Co-Founder and Managing Director (Joint), Voltedge Management

AI in the Workplace: Governance, Evidence & Employer Risk

Speaker: Enda Rochford, Systems & Training Consultant

• Embedded use of AI and GenAI across HR functions
• Governing ChatGPT, Copilot and AI-enabled HR systems
• Managing unauthorised and “shadow” AI use
• EU AI Act risk categories and HR compliance thresholds
• AI-generated records as evidence in disputes
• DSARs, transparency obligations and employer exposure

Pay Transparency, Pay Equity & Pay Compliance Risk

Speaker: Sinead Morgan, Legal Director, DAC Beachcroft

• Salary transparency obligations in recruitment
• Employee rights to pay information
• Joint pay assessments and the 5% threshold
• Gender pay gap reporting alignment
• Bonuses, allowances and discretionary benefits under scrutiny
• Minimum wage increases and pay compression risks

Family, Carers & Flexible Work: Managing Competing Employee Rights

Speaker: Sharon Dillon Lyons, BL, The Law Library

• Patients and Carers Leave Directive obligations
• Job protection and procedural requirements
• Flexible and remote working request risks
• Lawful request determination
• Updating policies and training managers

Underperformance Through Negotiated Exits

Speaker: Bernadette Daly, Of Counsel, Employment Simmons & Simmons (Ireland) LLP

• Negotiated exits as an alternative to extended performance improvement plans
• Legal and procedural safeguards
• Managing employee relations and risk
• Common mistakes employers make
• Tools for a risk informed approach

Auto-Enrolment 2026: Who’s In, Who’s Exempt, and How Opt-Outs Work

Speaker: Stephen Gillick, Partner, Mason Hayes and Curran

• Data & governance responsibilities
• Joiners, leavers & irregular workers
• Interaction with existing benefit structures
• Enforcement, inspections & penalties (light touch)
• Managing employee questions & pushback

Worker Classification, Contractors & Platform Work

Speaker: Martin McKiernan, Solicitor, Hayes Solicitors

• The Karshan test applied in practice
• Control as the decisive factor in classification decisions
• Revenue, WRC and DSP enforcement trends
• Personal service companies and contractor risk
• Presumption of employment under the Platform Workers Directive
• Algorithmic management and transparency obligations
• Preparing for December 2026 implementation

Retirement Age, Working Longer & Age Discrimination Risk in 2026

Speaker: Emer Murphy, Senior Associate, A&L Goodbody LLP

• Clarifying the difference between State Pension age and contractual retirement age
• Managing requests to work beyond retirement age
• Using and justifying mandatory retirement ages
• Handling fixed-term extensions and phased retirement arrangements without creating legal exposure

Disputes, Investigations & the WRC: Why Good Cases Still Fail

Speaker: Peter Dunlea, Employment Law Litigation Consultant, Peninsula Ireland

• Procedural fairness standards in 2026
• Conducting defensible workplace investigations
• Evidence handling, credibility and consistency
• Common investigation errors that collapse at hearing
• Reducing escalation and litigation exposure