Supporting compliance for interiors firms

Moira Grassick, COO, Peninsula Ireland

With compliance demands rising and auto-enrolment pensions looming, Irish Contract Interiors sat down with Peninsula Ireland’s COO, Moira Grassick, to understand how the group helps interiors firms navigate HR, employment law and health & safety – freeing them to focus on creativity, delivery and growth.

Hello Moira, please introduce Peninsula Ireland …

I’m Moira Grassick, Chief Operating Officer, Peninsula Ireland. Peninsula provides employers with day-to-day HR, employment law and health & safety support, backed by our BrightHR and BrightSafe software. In Ireland we support thousands of clients – from one-person businesses to large multi-site operations.

Peninsula itself was founded in Manchester in 1983 and has grown into one of the world’s largest providers of compliance support for SMEs. Today the group employs more than 4,000 people and supports over 145,000 businesses worldwide across the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Alongside its advisory services, it has invested heavily in software such as BrightHR and BrightSafe, which allow employers to manage time, leave, documentation and risk with transparency and ease. The Group also operates Wisdom Wellbeing HA, one of Europe’s largest employee assistance programmes.

Here in Ireland, Peninsula works with more than 7,000 client companies across all sectors – from interiors and construction to retail, hospitality and professional services.

Our Dublin headquarters, along with our regional base in Cork, house our employment law specialists and over 20 regional Health & Safety Consultants provide on-the-ground support.

Every Irish client has access to daily advice lines and Graphite Face2Face, a service that delivers on-site training, investigations and case management when required. And importantly, all packages include BrightHR and BrightSafe – so even the smallest firms can operate with the same compliance infrastructure as the largest organisations.

From left, Conal Caulfield, Moira Grassick, John Legg (ICI Editor) and Anna Hartnett

What are the key HR and compliance issues you’re seeing for interiors and contract fit-out businesses right now?

A lot of owners – especially in smaller firms – don’t realise their full obligations under employment law and health & safety. In Ireland, the same legislation applies whether you have one employee or a thousand, which often comes as a surprise. A family-run interiors workshop with three staff is bound by exactly the same working-time, leave and safety rules as a multinational contractor with a full HR department.

That lack of awareness can leave businesses exposed. We see companies falling short on basics like contracts of employment, working-time records, and health & safety statements – not out of bad intent, but because leaders are focused on delivery and assume the rules are only for “big employers”. In the interiors sector in particular, where work often involves site activity alongside studio or office functions, owners can underestimate the complexity of managing different categories of employees. A joiner on a live construction site, a designer in the office and a project manager on the road are all covered by the same core legislation, but their risk profiles and management needs are very different.

Another recurring issue is documentation. When disputes arise – say, over working hours, leave entitlements, or disciplinary matters – the absence of properly issued and updated paperwork is where many SMEs come unstuck. Add to that the rise of hybrid working, subcontracting, and short-term project hires, and it’s easy to see why even experienced business owners can slip into non-compliance without noticing.

In short, the biggest challenge isn’t just the legal obligations themselves – it’s awareness, structure and consistency. Business leaders need straightforward guidance and tools to keep people safe, keep records accurate, and keep the company protected, so they can concentrate on what they do best: delivering outstanding interiors projects on time.

Hybrid working – help or hindrance for this sector?

During Covid-19, everyone went home. More recently, businesses are pulling teams back together for performance and collaboration. On-site roles obviously need to be on site; most firms also have office functions where a return to the workplace is now the norm.

A recurring challenge is explaining when remote simply isn’t compatible with certain roles. We’ve even seen requests to fabricate equipment at home and bring it in – well-intentioned, but not appropriate from a control, quality and safety perspective. One positive legacy is greater awareness of health & safety and the employer’s duty to provide a safe place of work.

In Ireland, Peninsula works with over 7000 clients, helping them with a range of business basics

How does BrightHR help with time, leave and team management?

Employers are legally required to keep accurate records of staff working hours, start and finish times, and breaks. BrightHR makes that process straightforward. Its built-in tool, Blip, allows employees to clock in and out from wherever they are – whether that’s an office, a studio or a live site – so managers have a clear record ready for inspection if the Workplace Relations Commission ever calls.

The same system also handles annual leave: staff can submit requests directly through the app, and managers can approve or decline them instantly from their phone or laptop. The result is less paperwork, better visibility of who is available, and a stronger safeguard against breaches of the working-time regulations. For interiors firms, where teams often work on multiple sites or to tight deadlines, that ability to track hours and balance workloads is invaluable.

How do you balance the support for SMEs whilst having the capacity for larger clients?

Smaller businesses often don’t have anyone dedicated to HR, so our advice teams in Dublin and Cork act as an extension of their office. They take calls every day on issues as varied as absenteeism, long-term sick leave or disciplinary problems, and they guide employers through the process with the right documentation and step-by-step advice.

Larger organisations tend to have HR staff of their own, but they use Peninsula for employment law support and best practice. For them, our team provides independent reassurance that decisions are compliant, as well as updates on tribunal cases and changes in legislation. And when situations are complex – such as grievance hearings or management training – we can also provide on-site support through our Graphite Face2Face service.

In both cases, the principle is the same: practical, expert guidance that keeps businesses compliant while allowing them to focus on their core work.

“A lack of awareness can leave 
businesses exposed … companies 
can fall short on like contracts of 
employment, working-time records, 
and health & safety statements"

Auto-enrolment pensions are coming – what should interiors firms be considering, or indeed actioning?

Auto-enrolment will be a major change for every employer, regardless of size, and it began on 1st January 2026. There’s a cost impact and a documentation impact (contracts, policies, probation outcomes, maternity/sick leave scenarios, career breaks, payroll processes).

Our approach is to update client documentation, brief managers, and align payroll ahead of the deadline. The administration will be managed by a new State body, but employers still need to be set up, consistent and clear with staff. Getting prepared now avoids last-minute problems once the system goes live in January.

How can you help with one of biggest challenges in the interiors market at the moment – recruitment?

We’re not a recruitment agency, but we strengthen everything around hiring: fair and compliant job descriptions, interview templates, structured scoring, and, where needed, on-site interview support via our Graphite Face2Face service – especially useful for promotions where impartiality matters.

Health & safety in fit-out: what does good support look like?

We have 20-plus Health and Safety Consultants nationwide who inspect sites and workplaces, produce safety statements, flag issues, and track actions in BrightSafe. There’s also a 24-hour H&S advice line for all queries. In a higher-risk, brand-sensitive sector, preventing incidents protects people, programmes and reputation.

What does the Peninsula package include, and how is it priced?

Clients get the HR advice, health & safety support, Employee Assistance Programme (Wisdom Wellbeing HA) and our BrightHR/BrightSafe software – as a single, integrated package. Pricing is a monthly fee based on headcount and term (typically 12-60 months). Our aim is to prevent costly mistakes – prevention is always cheaper than crisis.

Most definitely not a recruitment agency, Peninsula guides helps businesses strengthen everything around hiring

Looking ahead: what should leaders working across the interiors sector be considering?

Over the next few years, the cost of doing business will remain a challenge. Rising minimum wages don’t just affect entry-level roles – they create knock-on pressure across pay bands. For interiors firms working on fixed-price projects, that can quickly squeeze margins.

The recruitment and retention market will also stay competitive. With Ireland close to full employment, attracting graduates and apprentices is tough, but keeping them is tougher. Younger staff expect structured training and progression, not just pay. Firms that build those pathways will fare better than those caught in a cycle of constant rehiring.

The cost of living adds to the pressure. Ireland is expensive, and while salaries matter, benefits, flexibility and workplace culture play an equal role in retention. Listening to employees and tailoring solutions to fit your team is often more effective than one-size-fits-all perks. Our BrightHR Marketplace, for example, provides employers with a platform where staff have access to cost-saving perks and thousands of offers and discounts.

Finally, digital change continues to reshape work. AI and automation already ease admin, scheduling and compliance reporting. For interiors, the creative and design side stays human, but the smart use of technology can save time and reduce risk – provided it’s adopted where it truly adds value.

Why has Peninsula elected to partner with IWIN and the interiors community?

Because our message is simple: we make your working life easier. We remove the compliance fog – HR, employment law, and safety – so firms can focus on delivery and growth. The software strips out admin; the people give practical, on-the-phone answers when you need them; and our on-site teams step in for high-stakes moments.

Final words?

Interiors firms do exceptional work under pressure. Our job is to keep you safe, compliant and confident – so you can do more of that exceptional work.

For further information:
Conal Caulfield
087 338 4292
[email protected]
www.peninsula-ie.com