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.
Fair Pay For A Day’s Work?
Ever wondered how much the person delivering those pamphlets to your letterbox gets paid? Labour’s David Parker says not enough: his member’s bill, which would ensure that they are paid at least minimum wage, was drawn from the ballot last week. Currently, people such as couriers, paper and pamphlet deliverers can be paid less than…
Health And Safety Reform Update
For those of you waiting with bated breath for the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee to report to Parliament on the Health and Safety Reform Bill (due on 30 March), you will have to wait a little longer. The committee is not now due to report until 29 May 2015. We will keep you…
Boost To Parental Leave
On 1 April 2015 the full entitlement to paid parental leave will increase to 16 weeks. This will increase again on 1 April 2016 to 18 weeks. This means the entitlement will align more closely with Australia and the OECD average. Who is entitled to the increase? Those who have an expected due date on…
Australian Workplace Health And Safety Prosecution Has NZ Implications
Australian Workplace Health and Safety prosecution has NZ implications
Health and Safety – recent Australian workplace prosecution has NZ implications
Workplace Health and Safety is a hot topic right now and it is important for New Zealand HR Managers and staff to be aware of Australia’s first prosecution of an ‘officer’ under their new workplace health and safety legislation. Similar laws are due to be implemented here in the near future. Click here to find out more….
Parental Leave – The Birth Of Something New?
Managing an employee on parental leave can be full of hidden traps. To help make it easier the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is seeking feedback on modernising parental leave. Further information on MBIE’s consultation can be found here We will be making submissions to MBIE, as we believe there are a number…
Cyber Bullying – Harmful Digital Communications Bill
The Harmful Digital Communications Bill is the government’s response to the Law Commission’s findings that existing legislation does not effectively address new forms of harm made possible by digital communication. The Bill will change the Privacy Act. Currently, the Privacy Act does not apply where an individual collects or holds personal information for his or…
How Do You Store Personal Information?
If you use spreadsheets to track employee, customer, contractor or supplier information, you are opening yourself up to error and possibly breaching your obligations under the Privacy Act 1993, Privacy Commissioner John Edwards says. In data breaches involving spreadsheets reported to the Privacy Commissioner, the numbers of individuals affected per breach has ranged from dozens…
“You’re Fired” – We’re Closer To It Than We Realise
Employers often complain that it is “too hard” to get rid of staff, and say it is a procedural nightmare. We wondered how New Zealand compares to other countries. Luckily for us, the OECD has released its ranking of employment protection (how hard it is to fire someone) across the OECD. The factors considered were:…