Managing Winter Absenteeism: HR Tips for Snowy Seasons

Winter snow often increases staff absenteeism, making effective HR management crucial. Learn key strategies for handling absenteeism, managing medical certificates, and staying compliant with employment laws during peak snow seasons. Ensure your business navigates weather-related challenges smoothly with our expert HR insights.

Navigating restructuring during economic bumps requires timely and empathetic communication with staff. When facing challenges, including downturns, addressing employees promptly is crucial for transparency and trust. Discover the best strategies to engage with your team during these pivotal moments in our blog.

"I would appreciate it if you could be more mindful of your words/actions. In other words, don’t be a sh*the@d.”

Magnum Hire learnt this the hard way. And, it was an expensive lesson: $137,463 plus bonus and holiday pay to be exact

The employment relations authority made it very clear that an owner/ director of a company is not allowed to create an unsafe workplace by yelling at and belittling managers to the point where they are suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, depression and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

We currently face a tough market to attract employees and retaining staff is crucial.  It is important that you cast the net as widely as possible but to do so successfully it is important to take stock of what your current staffing looks like and whether any changes might be needed to ensure your workplace is welcoming to all.

Most business owners and managers will be driven to create a workplace that is welcoming.  To achieve this it is important to reflect on how you would ensure this is the case for someone who is in one way or the other different to the majority of your employees.  This could include gender, age, sexuality, ethnicity, family situation, neurodivergence, disability to mention a few.  Whilst, hopefully, no one would set out to make some-one feel uncomfortable or unwelcome – workplace norms that have developed over time may unintentionally have this effect.

If you ever heard the answer “we’re paying ‘market rate’ for this position” and wondered what they meant by ‘market rate’? Market rate is the renumeration that is typically paid for a particular job in a specific location. But, what if you’re the only Rocket Engineer in Miller’s Flat? What is the ‘market rate’ then?

Competitive pay is essential for attracting and retaining talent and in rural areas, there is no set ‘market rate’ for many of our jobs. With the cost of living in New Zealand rising all the time, it can be tough to strike a balance between paying your employees fairly and keeping your business afloat and with Central Otago being one of the more expensive areas of the country to live, how do we make sure the wages enable people to pay their bills, and stay here? 

Are Gen Z as lazy as everyone claims them to be? I vowed never to sound like my Grandmother who would famously lament “the younger generation have no idea what hard work is!”  Whilst not addressing this directly to me, she left no doubt as to who she was talking about. Me!

It typically came down to the fact that I was not doing what SHE wanted at that moment in time. It did not help that she never articulated what she wanted me to do, until after the fact. 

A lack of clarity around the expectations of a job is a common story when there is a breakdown in the relationship between employer and employee. That is assuming your recruitment processes were stringent enough in the first place, and your employee wants their job for reasons other than just paying the bills.

Recruitment isn’t an “exact” science with guaranteed outcomes however, it is possible to add some science to your process to maximise the chances of finding the right person, with the help of strategic tools.

Traditional hiring methods, such as reviewing resumes and conducting interviews, provide valuable information but can sometimes fall short of revealing a candidate's true potential. At EASI NZ we’re keen to champion ways to refine and enhance that process. This is where psychometric testing steps in, offering a powerful tool to gain deeper insights into a candidate's suitability for a position. 

Even before the Covid pandemic, the modern world of work has seen rapid changes to the way we operate our businesses.

Business transformation is an overarching term for making fundamental changes within an organisation and is typically driven by external pressures to adapt to new market conditions, whilst still meeting existing and future business targets.

However, change is rarely received with open arms by our employees and with business transformation, the clue is definitely in the name! This fear is driven by potential changes in the way employees’ roles are performed or, whether the “transformation” even includes a job for them in the future.

As we all juggle our business commitments with the pre-Christmas rush and the summer holiday period that follows, taking on new employees can be daunting at a time when you are already busy – what if they do not have the skills they say they have? What if they struggle to cope under pressure? How do you know that they will be a good fit? How can you shorten the process?

In positions where practical skills are required, employers are often keen to give candidates a “trial” as part of the interview process before offering them a job. It seems like a simple proposition – however, it is one that needs to be carefully navigated to prevent any future headaches. 

Taking on your first employee is a massive step for any business, especially if you’re used to going it alone.

Registering with IRD as an employer is the easy part. An employment agreement that is fit for purpose can be easily obtained with the right advice but, the real challenge is bringing someone into the business that shares your vision and values. So, it’s imperative that you both understand why you’ve hired that person.

As we continue through 2022, there appears to be no quick fix to the staffing shortage that has plagued Central Otago and beyond in recent years, with post-pandemic staffing levels leaving many businesses teetering on the brink of survival.

In today’s age we’ve become accustomed to seeing “staff wanted” adverts for workplaces that claim to be dynamic, enthusiastic, and energetic environments. Many of them are fabulous businesses however, these very words make us think of younger people, they’re not typically associated with anyone over the age of 50.