http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog en http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Resigning-without-Notice-Forfeiture+of+Wages-Penalties-and-the-Risks+ Most employment agreements say the employer can pay an employee in lieu of notice – basically saying to the employee that they are willing to pay them not to work out the notice period. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Resigning-without-Notice-Forfeiture+of+Wages-Penalties-and-the-Risks+#comments Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:18:36 +1300 Phil Butler 87 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Mediated-settlements-are-confidential Most employees who raise a personal grievance will end up in Mediation. If they have a case then they and their employer probably will reach agreement that will require the employer to pay them some money. The agreement will be confidential which means that the only thing they can say to anyone is that the problem has been sorted out. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Mediated-settlements-are-confidential#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:17:22 +1200 Phil Butler 84 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Legal-Aid-You-may-still-have-to-pay%21 Most people agree that justice should not be the privilege of the rich and famous. And they would agree that people who cannot afford a lawyer should get legal aid. However, most people have very little sympathy for the rich and infamous who seek legal aid because they believe these people use “legal” smoke and mirrors to hide their wealth. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Legal-Aid-You-may-still-have-to-pay%21#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:24:23 +1200 Phil Butler 83 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/can-employers-and-employees-alike-trust-them%3F According to the lawyer for the CTV building's owners, a detailed structural engineers report commissioned after the September 4 quake found superficial damage to the building but raised no structural issues. Over the next few months many tenants in the CBD will be facing similar pronouncements from the property management companies who manage the affairs of their client landlords. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/can-employers-and-employees-alike-trust-them%3F#comments Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:28:32 +1300 Phil Butler 82 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Unsafe-Work-Practices-can-Cost-Lives-and-be-Very-Expensive The Pike River mine disaster highlighted how many New Zealanders face very dangerous and potentially life threatening situations every day they go to work. While the jury is still out on what caused the explosion, it will not come as a surprise to many people should they learn that it could have been prevented. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/Unsafe-Work-Practices-can-Cost-Lives-and-be-Very-Expensive#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:25:16 +1300 Phil Butler 79 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/serious-concerns-with-conduct-of-no-win-no-fee-provider In a decision dated 18 October 2010 the Employment Relations Authority found that Antoinette Cuthill-Coutts, an employment advocate with Employment Disputes Ltd, a company that is otherwise known as 0800SACKED, had been unjustifiably constructively dismissed. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/serious-concerns-with-conduct-of-no-win-no-fee-provider#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:35:05 +1300 Phil Butler 78 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/If-you-value-your-friends-then-don%27t-employ-them A recent decision* of the Employment Relations Authority highlights the dangers of employing friends and the difficulties a friendship poses when fulfilling your obligations as the employer. The luckless employer on this occasion was Clark Education and Training limited. The friends were Christopher Clark and Perry Wright. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/If-you-value-your-friends-then-don%27t-employ-them#comments Tue, 12 Oct 2010 13:09:58 +1300 Phil Butler 76 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/90-day-trial-period-is-a-legal-minefield On 26 August 2010 the Chief Judge of the Employment Court in Smith v Stokes Valley Pharmacy (2009) Limited exposed the complexity of the law on 90 trial periods and established that it is a veritable legal minefield for employers. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/90-day-trial-period-is-a-legal-minefield#comments Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:13:33 +1200 Phil Butler 73 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/The-Case-of-the-Fixed-Term-Agreement-that-Wasn%E2%80%99t. Fixed term employment agreements are essential tools for any business. They are needed to cover the positions of employees on parental leave. They are used to cover seasonal fluctuations in business and special projects. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/The-Case-of-the-Fixed-Term-Agreement-that-Wasn%E2%80%99t.#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:19:30 +1200 Phil Butler 72 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/zero-tolerance-violence-work Many employers have a zero tolerance policy towards violence in the workplace and while the Employment Court recognises it is admirable in principle, they have warned that “the devil is as always, in the detail of what is meant by a policy that has been sloganised”. A zero tolerance policy can be dangerous in the wrong hands. http://www.employment-law.co.nz/blog/zero-tolerance-violence-work#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:35:08 +1300 Phil Butler 64 at http://www.employment-law.co.nz