The latest Health & Safety prosecution in New Zealand during September has involved one of New Zealand’s largest transport companies – Ritchies Transport Holdings Ltd (‘Ritchies’). The bus transport company has been ordered to pay $750,000 after the brakes in one of its buses failed and it sped down a gully, killing three passengers andRead more about A Bus Accident and the $960K Consequence[…]
What can employers do to ensure changes in the business don’t destroy employee engagement and morale? Whether it’s resignations, restructuring, re-branding, a new way of working or simply a move to a new office building, any sort of business change involving employees can affect employees’ morale, engagement and levels of job security. So how canRead more about Maintaining Employee Morale when your Business Needs to Change[…]
How can businesses ensure they are offering the best duty of care to their workers who are mobile? It is anticipated more businesses and contractors are set to provide services directly within their regions and New Zealand-wide, and away from their main workplaces / worksites than ever, creating a huge mobile workforce. A transient workforceRead more about Remote Control – Managing a Mobile Workforce![…]
Sourcing employee talent or even just a safe pair of hands to your business is a two-way street. It means promoting your business as a great place to work to attract candidate attention, then making an offer they can’t refuse. For the candidate, there needs to be a reason that they would put effort inRead more about Top Tips for Spot-on Recruiting[…]
Navigating through any dismissal process can be challenging (much like eating Grandma’s boiled cabbage!) for an employer, and it can become even more complex when the employee you’re about to terminate is away from work on leave. A business can terminate an employment agreement even while the employee is on leave but, there needs toRead more about You Did What Now?! Terminating an Employee on Leave[…]
It’s now mid-2019, and many businesses are reviewing their health and safety practices and reminding workers about how to work safely in all the tasks they are completing. As a result of the Health & Safety at Work Act 2015, much has changed in many New Zealand workplaces in the last 3 years since itsRead more about A Mid-Year Snapshot of Health & Safety in NZ[…]
Many employers make the mistake of focusing only on hazards or risks that pose a threat to the physical harm of workers, as this is often very visible and easily identifiable. However, hazards and risks that threaten mental harm should not be overlooked, including bullying, harassment and intimidation in the workplace. The Health and SafetyRead more about Workplace Bullying and Intimidation – A Health & Safety Perspective[…]
It is now when sickness levels increase due to the usual colds, coughs, flu’s and viruses that do the rounds at this time of the year. This is normal, and most employees will take some sick leave to rest and recover. However, there is a small proportion of the workforce that take sick leave toRead more about Managing the “sickie” – a well-established workplace rite?[…]
There can be a lot of confusion around the different types of employment status in NZ. It is important for employers to get the status of employees correct and to comply with the legal requirements for each whether it’s casual, fixed term or permanent. The one commonality between all three is that there must beRead more about Permanent – Fixed-Term – Casual Employees – What is the difference and which do I need?[…]
As a business, you have legal requirements to protect not just the safety of your workers but also their health by identifying hazards and managing the associated risks. If your business creates health risks you have an obligation under the HSWA 2015 to monitor the health of your workers to ensure that the controls youRead more about Health Monitoring – do we have to?[…]
