Employment law is everywhere

Whether you prefer to get your news fix in print or online, you don’t have to look further than the front page to see that employment law is everywhere.

With recent headlines making national news such as: “Flyer beware – the employment implications of overseas travel”, “Can NZ employers take a “no jab, no job approach to COVID-19 vaccinations?” and “Government announces Fair Pay Agreements plan in radical overhaul of New Zealand employment laws” – it has never been more necessary to ensure you are complying with employment law obligations.

It’s clear these and many other employment law issues are affecting every part of our lives. Whether you are an employer or an employee some changes you might have noticed include:

• the increased cost of goods and services, due to a recent increase in the minimum wage;
• increased awareness of minimising psychological and not just physical harm in the workplace;
• an emphasis on health and safety, including wearing PPE or keeping employees away from the workplace if they are unvaccinated;
• additional bereavement leave available to those who suffer a miscarriage or still-birth in their family;
• an increased ability to negotiate pay equity, in some industries; or
• perhaps you are wondering how the increase in minimum sick leave entitlements will impact on productivity and wellbeing at work.

The team at Black Door Law is passionate about creating partnerships with our clients to help them navigate the New Zealand employment law landscape – it is an exciting time to be an employment lawyer!

With business as usual looking quite ‘unusual’ and different than at the start of last year, employment law is having to deal with out of the ordinary situations at rapid speeds. Whether it is social distancing, remote working and travel bubbles/restrictions. These novel situations come with novel arguments and ways of applying (and potentially extending) the current law.

Watch this space for our comments on current events in employment law.  We will be kicking things off with a four-part article series on the organisational impacts of workplace burnout – a topic which has gained a lot of media attention of late.