IRD Payday Filing
22 January 2019
By now you will have heard about payday filing and that from the 1 April 2019 employers must:
Long-standing pub owners fined $30,000 for treating employees as casuals
17 January 2019
Two Canterbury tavern owners have been ordered to pay $30,000 by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) for 30 breaches of the Holidays Act.
Malcolm and Claire Bennett, owners and operators of the Coalgate Tavern in Canterbury for more than 30 years, have been penalised for failing to provide three employees with minimum holiday rights, by treating them as casual employees despite them being permanent staff.
Minimum Wage Increases set for Three Years
20 December 2018
Club administrators need to take heed of the Government’s announcement that the minimum wage will increase by $1.20 per hour (from $16.50) to $17.70 from April 1st 2019 (No, it’s not a joke!). Great news for those employed on minimum wage, bad news for all small business owners and operators.
Dunedin pair to pay $11,500 for breaching employment law
13 December 2018
Two Dunedin restaurant employers have been ordered to pay $11,500 by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).
Following a Labour Inspectorate investigation, Hai Ung and Vuochhuor Ung, who operate the South Dunedin Curry House, have been penalised for failing to keep accurate wage, time and leave records.
Employment Relations Amendment Act passes third reading
6 December 2018
The Employment Relations Amendment Act passed its third reading last night. The Government says it will restore "a better workplace relations framework for New Zealand workers".
Work Christmas Functions - Tips to keep them fun
22 November 2018
Christmas Functions are all about celebrating the year that has been and giving your employees a chance to get together and have a bit of fun, however, they have developed a bit of a reputation over the years, partly due to Hollywood and partly because most of us will hear a story in the next few weeks of someone celebrating a little too much. As employers it is important to remember that you have responsibilities for your staff members at any work-related Christmas functions, so here are some quick tips.
A Win and a Loss for Trial Periods
14 November 2018
A recent case that was reported widely in the media raises interesting and novel issues about 90 day trials. The case Roach v. Nazareth Care Charitable Trust Board was heard in the Employment Court in Christchurch.
Christmas and New Year Public Holiday Entitlements 2018/19
8 November 2018
The Christmas and New Year period is fast approaching and no doubt if you haven't already you will be considering pulling those Christmas decorations out of storage and dusting off the Christmas Carol playlists. This year the Christmas and New Year public holidays fall on Tuesday 25 December, Wednesday 26 December, Tuesday 1 January and Wednesday 2 January meaning that the public holidays are observed on the day that they fall (there is no Mondayisation).
Bullying...claims and issues
18 October 2018
Over the past few years, we have seen a focus on addressing bullying in workplaces. In 2014 comprehensive Best Practice Guidelines were released by OSH (the predecessor to WorkSafe) and these were recently updated in March 2017 to reflect the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
Labour Day - Monday 22 October 2018
4 October 2018
Labour Day is fast approaching and this year falls on Monday 22nd October (fourth Monday in October). Labour Day is always observed on the day it falls and is not subject to 'mondayisation', calculating employee entitlements for labour day should be simple and can be done with the click of a button in most payroll systems.
Domestic Violence Victims Legislation
17 September 2018
You will likely have heard, due to the significant media coverage which this legislation has attracted, that the Domestic Violence Victims’ Protection Bill was passed on 25 July 2018 and will come into effect on 1 April 2019.
Poor Performance or Misconduct?
27 August 2018
"There is an important distinction between a misconduct concern on the one hand and a performance or capability concern on the other because they require different approaches.”
This is a distinction that is often misunderstood when employers come to consider the actions of an employee and determine whether those actions amount to either misconduct or poor performance. A distinction that is often very difficult to determine.
