Newsletter Articles 2020
24 August 2020
In less than two months, New Zealanders will vote in a referendum to decide if recreational cannabis should be legal.
If the majority vote "yes", the law doesn't change immediately. There will be some delay as a bill is introduced to Parliament and goes through the legislative process. This will give employers time to consider the range of issues that will accompany the legalization of cannabis. More ...
7 July 2020
There has been a lot of media coverage recently regarding tragic workplace fatalities in New Zealand. This year alone WorkSafe reported 25 work-related deaths. In the wake of these deaths there have been several calls for better investigations into the incidents and harsher penalties for those found guilty. More ...
8 June 2020
We are approaching the mid-point of 2020. While a lot has happened over the last few months, and much has changed, the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court has continued to function and issue decisions.
The are some recent decisions that are of note for both employers and employees. More ...
6 May 2020
Over the last six weeks, more New Zealanders than ever have been working from home in a cultural shift that has been seen all over the world. Time Magazine called the COVID-19 outbreak "the World's Largest Work-From-Home Experiment".
There are roughly one million "safe" workers already back at work under Level 3, increasing from around 500,000 "essential" workers who were in the workplace in Lockdown. More ...
16 April 2020
As we all settle into the routines of lockdown, practices and routines in the workplace are also changing.
Workplaces will either have shifted to remote working, or if they are essential, would have implemented social distancing and hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
As these changes have been implemented, many workplaces would have undoubtedly experienced disruption, frustration and most likely some technical difficulties. More ...
20 March 2020
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has required many life-style changes
Within a matter of weeks people have found themselves required to stay home for self-isolation, or requested to stay home as part of social distancing. More ...
30 January 2020
Whether certain workers are employees or independent contractors has become a hot topic in the era of the gig economy.
Courts and Tribunals around the world faced this issue in respect of Uber, with varying findings. Courts in a number of US states determined Uber drivers were employees while the Fair Work Ombudsmen in Australia found the drivers were contractors. In the UK, the Employment Tribunal threw a further alternative into the debate, finding that Uber drivers fell into a middle ground category of "workers" which entitles them to some minimum entitlements like minimum wage and paid holidays.
This classification issue is not a new one and can have very wide-ranging consequences. More ...
