Knowledge

The Government has made an announcement about changes to the COVID-19 Protection Framework and vaccination mandates.  Here is what employers and employees need to know. Vaccination mandates Vaccination mandates in the education, police, defence and hospitality/close contact industries will end from 11.59pm on Monday 4 April 2022. Mandates remain in place for health, aged care, […]

In the previous article of this series, we considered an employer’s obligation to an employee who makes an allegation of workplace bullying.  Often employers are good at supporting the complainant, yet they forget that there is someone else who is being impacted by the complaint and that is the person who has been accused of […]

In any bullying complaint there are at least three parties involved: the complainant (the person raising the complaint) the respondent (the alleged ‘bully’) and the employer.  In this article, we focus on employers’ obligations to employees who have raised an allegation of bullying – from the moment the complaint is received and beyond.   Consider […]

Following on from our previous article, where we discussed the prevention of workplace bullying, we now turn to the steps a manager or leader can take when bullying happens or is alleged.  The most effective response will be one that is consistent with workplace policies and wider employment law obligations (which can become a minefield […]

Many articles regarding bullying focus on what to do when it happens.  Of course we will cover that as part of our Workplace Bullying Series, but as they always say … prevention is better than cure … so this article looks at what prevention measures employers can put in place. For organisations to provide a […]

Workplace bullying.  What is it? What do you do when you feel you are being bullied?  What do you do if you have been accused of being bullied?  As an employer what do you do if your employee complains about workplace bullying and how do you prevent workplace bullying? Our six-part series addresses all of […]

Restraint of trade clauses commonly feature in employment agreements.  Whether or not the restraint is enforceable is a different story.  Despite many incorrectly stating that restraint of trade clauses are not “worth the paper they are written on”, on 24 January 2022 the Employment Relations Authority demonstrated how incorrect this blanket statement is. Tova O’Brien, […]

Sunday 16 January 2022 was World Religion Day.  It is celebrated to promote understanding and peace between all religions.   Faith and spiritual belief, even if not expressed overtly, is one aspect of diversity employers should be aware of especially when requests to accommodate that religion arise.  The large crossover between human rights and employment law […]

The COVID-19 pandemic, as a serious matter of public health and safety, has generated widespread publication of personal and professional opinions.  There have been several recent incidents which have raised questions about the intersection of employment obligations and publicly-voiced opinions. Expression of views in a professional capacity Well-known commentators, Professor Shaun Hendy and Associate Professor […]

Thursday 25 November is White Ribbon Day.  White Ribbon Day is an annual campaign to raise support against family violence in New Zealand. Since April 2019, employees affected by family violence are entitled to 10 days’ paid family violence leave. This is one of the protections brought in by the Domestic Violence – Victims’ Protection […]