Many employers employ people who they consider to be “casual employees”. However, there can be a fine line between permanent and casual employment. It is very common for an employee to start work on a casual basis but for that work to morph over time to being more permanent. It is important that employers and […]
The decision to restructure your business is never easy, and it’s important to get the law right. Here are our top five tips for dealing with a redundancy or restructuring situation. Do your homework If you are thinking about restructuring your business, make sure you have done your homework. Even if the decision is motivated […]
Farm worker accommodation is covered under the Health and Safety Regulations 1995 – this may come as a surprise to many farm owners. These Regulations set certain standards for agricultural worker’s accommodation. Significantly, all farm worker accommodation must either contain, or have access to, certain facilities, including toilets, washing, sleeping, heating and refrigeration facilities. Accommodation must […]
This weekend if the first time we will experience the Mondayisation of ANZAC Day. Under the Holidays Act 2003, the ANZAC public holiday will be observed on Monday the 27th April. Here are my top 5 tips to prepare for Mondayisation: 1. Know what has changed …. For employees who would not usually work on Saturday 25th, […]
Many of you will have heard of the recent Human Rights Tribunal decision which awarded nearly $169,000 to an employee who had baked a cake containing offensive messages about her former employer and then shared pictures of the cake on her Facebook page. Karen Hammond used to work for NZ Credit Union Baywide (NZCU). She […]
A recent Employment Relations Authority decision highlights the dangers of thinking what you say, or” like”, on Facebook won’t impact on your employment. A Tauranga child care centre had received complaints from parents and staff about the behaviour of a Manager. The Manger was asked to attend a meeting to discuss these complaints. She did so, […]
Dan was employed as a farm hand. His job included getting the cows in for milking, shifting fences, some weed spraying, and feeding calves when necessary. He was often left to work alone and had sole charge of farm machinery and vehicles. Over time his boss noticed Dan was less focused, he made simple mistakes, […]
Many employers don’t realise how broadly “hazard” is defined in the Health and Safety in the workplace Act 1992 (HSEA). What often surprises many employers is the inclusion of factors such as physical and mental fatigue. In a practical sense, we see many examples where physical and mental fatigue are fairly common in the workplace. […]
I recently had a discussion with a client who was employing someone to work part time in their business. Duing the discussion it became clear that they weren’t actually “employing” the person but intended to contract with them to provide services. The difference is an important one and knowing the differences is crucial. What then […]
I’ve just finished reading about a restaurant in Auckland that is being prosecuted for allegedly paying staff only $4 an hour. The restaurant had been ordered by the Department of Labour to provide various documents to the Department’s Inspector and were unable to do so. It’s safe to say this has not helped their case […]
