Employment Agreements

New Zealand law says you must have a written employment agreement with all of your employees and you have to provide it. If you don’t then you risk disputes with your employees and could be regarded as encouraging unfair bargaining for which you have to pay financial penalties for breach of the Employment Relations Act. Further any arrangements about a trial period or fixed term employment could well be unenforceable. The agreements should be signed and returned to you before employees start work You are also required to advise employees in writing that they are entitled to get legal advice about the employment agreement and give them reasonable time to do so before they sign it.

We see many agreements that are badly designed. They do not help employers manage the more difficult aspects of employment relationships and encourage disputes.

How we can help

We will design an employment agreement that fits your business and operational needs and complies with New Zealand law.

Our employment agreements:

• Come in both an electronic and hard copy form;
• Link you to sites that allow you to quickly calculate PAYE, Public Holiday and Sick Leave pay;
• Are designed to be used for all types of employees including casual, temporary permanent part-time and full time;
• Have a plain language explanation of the terms running parallel to the terms themselves so that they are easily understood;
• Ensure both parties know exactly what is expected of them;
• Provide a process for managing employment relationship problems.

Please provide us with

• The legal name of your business e.g. personal name, company, trust, partnership.
• Your trading-name.
• Electronic copy of your business logo.
• Description of your business.
• Any existing agreement.
• The hours your business trades.
• Any terms and conditions you particularly need.
• Your contact details.