Employment

Employing staff can be a daunting process. Thankfully, there are resources available that clearly outline the legal and ethical rights and responsibilities of both employers and employees.

A great starting point for anyone considering employing staff is the Employment New Zealand website which covers the important details and considerations for the hiring process, active employment, and ending of employment.

Tips:

Types of Employment

In an event context, considerations need to be made regarding the type of employment arrangement that you could offer to event staff.

• Is the staff member an Employee or Contractor?
• Is the employment Permanent or Fixed Term?
• Is the employee learning on the job as an Apprentice or Trainee?
• Is there a Triangular Employment Situation in place?
• Are the Hours of Work offered on a casual basis, part-time or full time?

Employment Agreements

• You must give every employee a written Employment Agreement, making it clear what is expected from them and what they’re entitled to while working for you.
• Employment Agreement Builder – use this tool to create an employment agreement for your employees.

Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities

• Employers and employees have important Rights and Responsibilities towards each other.
• Once you’ve hired an employee, you and your employee can agree to better terms and conditions, but at least the minimum entitlements as set by the law must be provided.

The Hiring Process

• When you hire a new employee, you need to act fairly throughout the Hiring Process and make sure you do not discriminate against people based on sex, age, race or other illegal grounds.
• Employers can use Tests and Checks including Police Vetting, or Criminal Record Check, as well as Trials and Probationary Periods to ensure employees are suitable for the job.

Pay & Holidays

• Learn about pay and holidays
• Minimum wage rates apply to all employees aged 16 and over.
• Employees are entitled to annual holidays, public holidays, sick leave, bereavement leave, parental leave and other types of leave as long as they meet certain conditions.

Fair Work Practices

• Fair Work Practices balance the rights and responsibilities of employees and employers. They establish clear and consistent expectations and support the mana and dignity of everyone in the workplace.

Resolving Problems

• There are many types of issues that can occur in an employment relationship. How they should be dealt with will depend on the nature of the problem and the parties concerned.

Ending Employment

• There are several ways in which employment relationships may be ended, such as resignation, retirement, dismissal or redundancy.

Useful Links:

• Employment New Zealand | employment.govt.nz
• Starting Employment | employment.govt.nz/starting-employment
• Types of Employment | employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/types-of-worker
• Employment Agreement Builder | business.govt.nz/employmentagreementbuilder
• NZ Police Vetting Service | police.govt.nz/nz-police-vetting-service
• Ministry of Justice – Criminal Record Check | justice.govt.nz/criminal-records

Have you considered?

• What roles are required to effectively manage your event? Refer to the Building your Team section for recommended roles and responsibilities.
• Have you considered volunteers or fundraising groups to fulfil specific roles within your event team?