The Labour government has signalled that we should expect to see some of the campaign promises to reform employment law implemented during this term. So, what were these promises, and will you be impacted? We outline the seven proposed changes below: Increasing sick leave entitlements: Labour pledged to increase the minimum entitlement of paid sick…
If you spent lockdown managing staff, subsidies and the financial impact on your business, chances are you may have overlooked some important changes to employment law. With businesses getting back to work, now is a good time to get up to date. Here are some of the key changes you should know about: The minimum…
With the country half way through the 4th week of lockdown, here are some of the most common queries we have received: Can I make staff use sick leave during lockdown? Sick leave should only be used if the staff member or a person they care for is sick or injured. Our business is an…
The employment law landscape is changing, with amendments to the Employment Relations Act and the implementation of the Domestic Violence Victims’ Protection Act 2018, which comes into effect on 1 April 2019. So what do the changes mean for employers? Union access from 12 December 2018: Unions are entitled to access a workplace on union business, which includes providing…
The minimum wage is set to increase on 1 April 2016. The order increases the minimum rates of pay for adult workers, starting-out workers, and trainees. The new minimum hourly rates of pay are as follows: $15.25 per hour for adult workers (increased from $14.75 per hour); and $12.20 per hour for starting-out workers and…
On 4 April 2016 the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 comes into force. This means that you only have two months to ensure that your business complies with the new legal requirements. We can help by: Reviewing your health and safety policy; Reviewing how you engage with employees about health and safety; Identifying…
On 13 August the Government introduced the Employment Standards Legislation Bill. In summary it: provides for stronger and more effective enforcement of employment standards such as the minimum wage and holidays entitlements; and extends parental leave and payments to more workers and increases the flexibility of the parental leave scheme; prohibits certain practices in employment…
A recent TVNZ story has highlighted the fact that some employers have begun encouraging staff not to take sick leave by giving them an end of year bonus. What it didn’t discuss is how to deal with employees who continue to come to work, despite being clearly unwell. Those employees often have genuine reasons for continuing to…
We now have some certainty about the future of health and safety law in New Zealand: on Friday the Transport and Industrial Select Committee finally reported back on the Bill. Five of the key changes to the Bill (some of which had been well-rehearsed in the media) include: Employers must still engage with employees and…
An Employment Standards Bill will be introduced to Parliament later in 2015 with measures to prevent unfair employment practices. To read the full statement from Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse, click here.