If you’re an employer, it’s crucial that you update your employment agreements to comply with a recent change in employment law affecting the time limit for raising personal grievances for sexual harassment. Last month, a new law came into effect that extends the period for employees raising grievances about sexual
From 11:59pm on Wednesday, 25 March 2020, New Zealand’s alert status in response to the COVID-19 threat was lifted to Alert Level 4. During this period, New Zealanders not working in essential services must stay at home and stop all interactions with others outside of their household. This has left
COVID-19, the new coronavirus, is deadly. It is threatening the global economy, as countries impose restrictions on residents, and travel and commerce are disrupted. The New Zealand Government has announced unprecedented measures to assist affected businesses. These may cushion the blow. But for many businesses, tough decisions will remain –
Working out what to pay staff on a public holiday can send you into a tailspin. Do I pay them or not? And if I pay them, how much? Actually, working this out is simple. You just have to answer a couple of questions about each employee. 2 QUESTIONS AND
Terry pranged the company car. Again. Julie’s work on the designs was so sloppy that you had to pay a contractor to redo them. Donald insulted a client at a sales meeting. Now the client has gone to your competitor. In each of those situations, if Terry, Julie, or Donald
So you’ve decided to take the plunge and hire your first employee. Ideally, your employees should make your business life easier. Good staff can really help spread the load. You should also know that employing others comes with certain responsibilities. After all, it’s called an employment relationship. You’re making a
“Brian,” the boss addresses him as he sits down at the boardroom table. “We need to have a chat about your future at XYZ Limited.” Brian’s face goes white. He imagined he’d have another 20 years left at XYZ. At least another five, until he had broken the back of
Plenty of New Zealand employers think the law is too “employee-friendly”. They cite cases where employees were surely at fault, but came away with big awards because the employer stuffed up the dismissal process. “How can that be fair?,” they wonder. They go on to assume that it doesn’t matter
Awards of compensation for hurt and humiliation have tended to be low in the past. That is particularly so in relation to claims for unjustified disadvantage. But in the right case, even compensation for a disadvantage claim can be significant – as a recent judgment from the Employment Court has
KiwiSaver is a great scheme for getting Kiwis to save. After a decade we’re already saving billions collectively. The success of the scheme lies in making saving automatic. Contributions get paid because employers make the payments on their employees’ behalf. But what does it cost you as an employer? And
