An eventful winter
What an eventful winter this has been. We have seen: another coup in Fiji, leadership defections from Team NZ, Canterbury retaining the Super 12 title, Todd named as All Black captain, a full moon eclipse, the Black Sox retaining their World title and Mark Todd hitting the headlines.
We have also witnessed rising petrol prices and interest rates with restrained house prices and major fluctuations on the share market.
For those in business however there has been one area of concern that has begun to show a glimmer of hope. There has been an apparent awakening of the Government to the needs and voice of the business community. The coalition government seems to now be making a more conscious effort to meet with and listen to the business community over its concerns relating to the Employment Relations Bill. As a consequence the government is reviewing the proposed Bill in the following areas: Fixed Term Contracts, Disclosure of Financial Information, Independent Contractors, Implied Redundancy Provisions, Communications with Employees during Bargaining and Directors Responsibilities.
Who can tell what the Act will finally look like, or whether the government has indeed really listened to the concerns of business leaders, but at least there may be some changes which will reflect these concerns. We will keep you informed of developments with the ER Bill as they occur. In the meantime you can refer to the EMPLOYMENT ACTS section of this site and review the summary of the ER Bill. (Subscriber access only)
Forms
We have added further forms to the FORMS section of the site (Subscriber access only) and now have over 100 forms and documents available for member's use. The new documents include 3 further adverts, a probationary review form and a couple of appraisal forms.
Conference
We recently organised and facilitated a conference in Rotorua for one of our clients. It was only a small group but was a great success with high praise from the client company managing director.
If you are looking for a conference venue try the 'Heritage' in Fenton Street in Rotorua. Not only do they have good conference facilities, but also have on site a large hot pool, a number of small hot pools, mini golf, tennis courts, BBQ's and some units also have their own spa pools. The twin bedroom units are reasonably large and can be used as interview or breakout rooms if required.
If you want assistance in designing, organising and facilitating a conference for your organisation contact PHA Consultants.
Smoke Free Environment Act
The Act requires employers to not only implement a workplace smoking policy but to actually review the policy annually.
Each year employers should review the policy and after consultation with employees, either amend it or reconfirm it. Remember that you must consult with your employees, however the final decision on the details of the policy remains with the employer.
There are two sample Smoking Policies in the FORMS section of this site (Subscriber access only), which may assist you in formulating your own policy. There is also a summary of the Smoke Free Environment Act under the EMPLOYMENT ACTS section (Subscriber access only) that highlights the key actions required by employers.
