Thursday, 19 March 2026
09:30 - 12:30
(
3 hours )
Online
Sickness absence law in Northern Ireland is changing, and employers need to act now.
From April 2026, new Statutory Sick Pay rules will change how sickness absence is managed day to day. Alongside this, Northern Ireland is leading the way by extending statutory rights to miscarriage, creating real legal and practical risks for employers who are not prepared.
This half-day online event will get you up to speed quickly. We will break down the new legal duties, highlight what makes Northern Ireland different, share a sharp case law update, and give practical guidance on managing sickness absence fairly, confidently and lawfully.
Book now to make sure your organisation is compliant, prepared and ahead of the curve before the law changes.
After attending this event, you will:
Have practical tools and confidence to manage sickness absence fairly, consistently and defensibly, reducing the risk of disputes and claims.
Who should attend this event:
This event is designed for employers, HR professionals and those with line-management responsibilities.
Why you should attend this event:
Join Leeanne Armstrong, Managing Associate at Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP to get ahead of the 6 April 2026 changes to SSP. Learn what’s new, what it means for your workplace, and how to manage sickness absences confidently and compliantly.
You will learn:
Plus, step-by-step examples of new SSP calculations to make compliance simple and practical.
Includes a 10-minute Q&A
Join Emmie Ellison & Johanna Cunningham, both Senior Associates at Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP as they explain the new regimes around miscarriage and parental bereavement leave and pay.
Emmie & Johanna will explain:
Will include a 10-minute Q&A.
Shirley Blair of Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP, sets out the legal principles surrounding absence management and provides insights into current absence trends, including:
Includes a 10-minute Q&A
Adam Brett, Consultant Partner at Lewis Silkin (NI) LLP, unravels the complexities of key absence-related cases and highlights the invaluable lessons they hold for making reasonable adjustments.
Adam will:
Includes 10-minute Q&A.
Leeanne has extensive experience advising a range of regional, national, and international employer clients on various contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. She is dual qualified and practises in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales.
She assists HR, management, and in-house legal teams with a range of day-to-day employee relations issues, such as poor performance, ill health, disciplinary matters, and grievances. She also provides advice and guidance to clients on redundancy exercises, contract and policy reviews, senior employee exits, and the transfer of employees under TUPE.
Shirley Blair has over twenty years’ experience advising on employment law in both the Northern Irish and GB jurisdictions. She advises on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters for clients in all sectors. Shirley specialises in complex discrimination proceedings, including in the NI Court of Appeal and am a qualified Solicitor Advocate.
Adam Brett has over 40 years’ experience dealing with employment and discrimination matters, primarily representing employers. This has involved a wide range of tribunal and court litigation. For many years, they have also been involved with the Employment Lawyers Group in Northern Ireland, serving as Chair, Deputy Chair, and a committee member.
Emmie is dual qualified, practising in both Northern Ireland and England & Wales. They have experience advising a diverse range of regional, national, and international clients on both contentious and non-contentious employment matters. They support HR teams, management, and in-house legal departments with a variety of day-to-day employee relations issues, and also advise clients on their obligations under modern slavery legislation.
Since qualifying in 2018, Johanna has supported clients with disciplinary and grievance issues, defending employment tribunal claims, senior exits, redundancies, TUPE, and day-to-day HR queries. She also has a strong interest in the overlap between employment law and data protection, regularly advising on subject access requests, data breaches, employee monitoring, and matters involving cross-border workers.
Booking is quick and straightforward. Choose to pay securely by card or request an invoice at checkout
