Election News and more
Election time
Now is a prudent time to update you all that as an employer you must give your employees time off to vote in the general (parliamentary) election on polling day (Saturday 14 October) if:
they are (or are qualified to be) registered as an elector of the district where the election is, and
they haven’t had a reasonable opportunity to vote before starting work.
The amount of time an employee can have off to vote depends on whether they are required for essential work or services.
Unless your employees are in essential service that have to work after 3pm, you must allow them to leave work no later than 3pm, for the rest of the day without deductions from their pay.
If they don’t have to work after 3pm on the polling day for essential work or services, you must allow your employees reasonable time to get to vote, therefore 3pm is the latest for the rest of the day without deductions from their pay for this time off work.
If they are required to work for essential work or services after 3pm on the polling day you must allow them to leave work for a reasonable time to vote. You can’t make any deductions from their pay for time up to 2 hours that they spend off work.
If you do not comply to these regulations, you could be fined $1000 per employee.
If you have any questions on how this might relate to you, do not hesitate to get in touch.
Legal News
Changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) Process for Employers
As of 29 October 2023, Immigration New Zealand is implementing changes for Employment Agreements and AEWV (Accredited Employer Work Visa) holders. Here is a summary from the INZ Website:
90-Day Trial period: any Individual Employment Agreement submitted as part of a job check application will no longer be able to include a 90-day trial period. Any job check application which contains a 90-day trial period in an Employment Agreement will be declined, regardless of the submission date.
Accreditation Standard: A new accreditation standard for AEWV employers will be introduced. Employers will be required to commit to not using a 90-day trial period when hiring AEWV holders.
Risk of accreditation loss: Breaching this standard could lead to the loss of accreditation for employers.
For detailed information relating to immigration and accreditation, please visit the Immigration New Zealand website or seek the advice of a registered Immigration Advisor.
At Knowhow, we are unable to provide immigration advice, however we can assist with the preparation of, or the review and update of any employment related documentation required to obtain accreditation including Individual Employment Agreements, Policies and Policy Manuals, as well as Recruitment practices and processes.
If you require assistance with the review and update of your employment documentation, please let us know.
Knowhow News
Introducing Rebecca Dobby, Partner – Employer Advisory
Rebecca has recently joined Knowhow coming from a Global organisation where she lead an HR function.
Rebecca has over 20 years’ experience in human resources and recruitment.
Bringing a wealth of experience, Rebecca has worked in multiple industries including manufacturing, corporate, global, small to medium businesses, private and public sector and has a wealth of experience across the full remit of employment relations and HR generalist tools to work with any organisation whether large or small.
Rebecca’s passion is ensuring that businesses and employers are set up for success whilst remaining compliant to the ever-changing complexity of the employment relations landscape.
Rebecca has strong competency with change management, coaching, HR operations and process/project management with a passion for technology to support businesses.
Rebecca tailors her approach to businesses ensuring even the trickiest employment situation is made simple and finds value to add to each situation.
Referrals
We are very grateful to our clients who provide us with referrals. If you know of an employer who needs support in managing employment matters, including those difficult issues that arise with employees please pass on our contact details or let us know and we will contact them to outline what we do.
Kind regards.
Sylvia Wood
Director
Knowhow Limited
Information contained herein does not constitute a definitive or complete statement of law. "What's New" is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information on employment matters. "What's New" is not rendering legal, accounting or other expert advice. Because employment related matters must be dealt with on a case by case basis the information provided herein is not intended to supplant professional legal and other expert advice being sought in regard to a specific problem.