Can you resign and then say that you were fired? The answer is yes if you are “constructively dismissed”. Here an employee resigns and argues that they were really forced out or dismissed.  More...

A case that captured the headlines in Britain contains lessons for employers in New Zealand.

Flooring company owner Simon Cremer took the law into own hands when he caught Mark Gilbert stealing from him. Mr Gilbert is variously described as an employee and as a sub-contractor in the various reports.

Mr Gilbert had written a company cheque for £845 (NZ$1853.10) to himself, forging his employer’s signature on the cheque. The employer found out and frog-marched Mark Gilbert to the local police station with a sign around his neck saying “thief – I stole £845, am on my way to the police station”.  More...

Last year the Employment Relations Authority ruled on a dispute involving the New Zealand Customs Service and Douglas Alo. Mr Alo was employed by Customs for 22 years. His employment ended in July 2008 when he was dismissed from his position as Customs Liaisons Officer, South East Asia.  More...

When the shock of Christchurch’s recent earthquake passes, both employers and employees will be looking at their futures. Staff will want to know whether they are going to be paid wages and employers will want to know how long they will have to pay workers who are not working.  More...

Employment relationships are extremely personal, those that involve family members are even more personal and generally commence with a lot more trust than those with strangers. When family employment relationships go wrong the damage is likely to be much worse than in a normal employment relationship.  More...