Gerry McMahon is an acknowledged national expert in People Management. He has over 35 years’ experience - as a workplace investigator (on bullying/harassment/ disciplinary/dismissal/grievance issues), trainer, negotiator, facilitator, mediator, arbitrator and team builder - across a wide range of employment sectors. He is the M.D. of the H.R. training and advisory company Productive Personnel Ltd.Â
Gerry has also had an extensive range of books and articles published and been a columnist with the Industrial Relations News, Irish Times, Sunday Business Post, and Irish Independent and expert commentator on H.R./Employee Relations for R.T.E. and TV3/Virgin. He has also served on numerous Legal Island and C.I.P.D. judging panels and is a Council member of the Irish Association for Industrial Relations.
Contact: Tel. 087-2471415; E-Mail: ppl1gerry@gmail.com
Recent weeks have seen some high-profile instances of employers falling foul of the law when it comes to their recruitment and selection practices. For example, in February 2026, the National Council for Special Education - the State body overseeing special education for adults and children with disabilities - was directed by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to pay €40,000 to a deaf man for refusing him a job interview. Notably, in this case, the WRC overlooked the standard €13,000 cap on compensation in employment access cases (as provided for under the Employment Equality Act 1998-2015), as it relied instead on the renowned European Court of Justice’s Von Colson principle, the such awards be ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive’ (ADJ-00042837).
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