THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Our collaborative team works hard to keep up to date with all the latest employment issues of the day. Please have a read of the insightful articles below.
Stop Press: Covid-19 Response Bill
As New Zealand moves to make vaccinations the cornerstone of New Zealand’s COVID-19 response under the COVID-19 Protection Framework, it [...]
Court of Appeal releases much-awaited Metropolitan Glass & Glazing Ltd v Labour Inspector decision
In what is welcome news to many employers, the Court of Appeal has overruled the Employment Court’s judgment regarding discretionary [...]
Vaccine Mandates
Yesterday, the Government announced a range of measures to help protect workplaces and workers from the negative consequences of [...]
The Delta variant: When are mandatory vaccinations justifiable in the workplace?
The Government’s recent decision to amend the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021 (“Order”) to require fully vaccinated workers [...]
Coronavirus and Employment: Your vaccination questions answered
This article was written by Priscilla Dickinson, and published on Newshub (8 September 2021). Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is [...]
Incentivising employees to get vaccinated
As New Zealand continues its public vaccination rollout, many employers are eager to encourage their workers to get vaccinated. [...]
Can employers justifiably dismiss employees if they have not been vaccinated?
The courts in New Zealand have not confronted this difficult issue, and it is not clear precisely how the courts [...]
Can employers fire you if you refuse to get vaccinated? An expert weighs in on COVID-19 vaccine mandates
This article was written by Ireland Hendry-Tennent, and published on Newshub (27 August 2021). As the Delta outbreak continues to [...]
Employees who cannot work from home during lockdown – should they be paid?
COVID-19 and its devastating effects continue to raise many difficult questions in relation to employers’ obligations towards employees. The latest [...]
Tricky Sickies
A radio show recently invited listeners to call in and anonymously confess what they have used sick leave for. Some [...]
Recent Insights – Medical Incapacity Termination
While employers in New Zealand are permitted to terminate an employee’s employment for reasons of medical incapacity, such a [...]
Amending the Holidays Act… again – the next steps
In 2018, the Government established the Holidays Act Taskforce to review and suggest amendments to the Holidays Act 2003. [...]
Personal Grievances: Areas of Interest and Advice for Employers
In this article, we will explore three areas of interest and give guidance on what employers can do to [...]
STOP PRESS: Holidays Act Taskforce Report Released
The Holidays Act Taskforce has now completed its report, and the Government announced on 23 February 2021 that it has [...]
COVID-19 and Workplace Stress
On 14 February 2021, the Government announced that Auckland would again move to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 with the rest [...]
Employment Landscape Update
Wednesday 23 December 2020 Much has happened during 2020. We have seen a Government which is able to self-govern [...]
Is a job advert requiring applicants to be vegan discriminatory?
SAFE defends 'vegan' requirement in job advertisement This article has been reproduced with the permission of Newshub. It was [...]
Preparing for the Privacy Act 2020
Discussions around reform for the 1993 Act began as early as 1998. The commencement of the new Act on 1 [...]
Restructuring and Redundancies, particularly in the wake of COVID-19
Due to the continued uncertainty created by COVID-19 both here and abroad, many businesses have, and continue to implement [...]
Mental Health Awareness Week
We reflect on the important message Mental Health Awareness Week promotes. In particular, the focus this year, to “Reimagine [...]
Businesses operating under Alert Level 3 in Auckland
Although Auckland is currently in Alert Level 3, most businesses can lawfully operate with certain constraints, provided they have systems [...]
Can employers ‘make’ staff get tested for COVID-19?
This article was written by Priscilla Dickinson, and published on Newshub (19 August 2020). As COVID-19 testing ramps up, [...]
COVID-19: Second Wage Subsidy Extension
This afternoon, 17 August 2020, the Government announced the details of the second extension to the COVID-19 Wage Subsidy, designed [...]
COVID-19: The Ministry of Health’s Powers
Following the Prime Minister’s recent announcement, Auckland will remain at Alert Level 3, whilst the rest of New Zealand [...]
COVID-19: The Second Wave
As of midday today, Auckland once again proceeded to Alert Level 3, while the rest of the country proceeded [...]