Employment and health and safety

Your workers must have a written employment agreement. Employment law changes are frequent and often complex. Mistakes and misunderstandings can end up being costly and distracting. Our team can help you understand your rights and obligations and review your existing employment and contracting arrangements so that they work for you and your business.

Change is a normal part of business. As an employer, you must consult with your workers whenever you propose to change your employment structure or sell or transfer the business.

Our team will provide you with advice on the law and process and assist you through to a final decision which may result in restructuring and/or redundancy.

Discovering employee misconduct and poor performance can be distressing and incredibly distracting. It is essential that you follow a robust and fair process in dealing with these issues.

We are skilled at working with employers to properly investigate and resolve issues while causing the least disruption to your business. If you do end up facing a personal grievance or other claims by employees or the Labour Inspectorate, our team are experts in resolving disputes through negotiation, mediation and legal action in the Employment Relations Authority and all Courts

It is now well known that businesses must take all practicable steps to protect the health and safety of their workers and other connected people. Employers must have clear policies and procedures in place.

If they do not and an incident occurs, WorkSafe is likely to investigate and prosecute the businesses and individuals involved. The resulting financial sanctions and reputational damage can be significant and devastating.

Businesses must protect an individual’s right to keep their personal information private. Employers must therefore have robust policies and procedures in place to uphold these obligations. Breaches may result in complaints to the Privacy Commissioner and subsequent enforcement action in the Human Rights Review Tribunal.

We can advise you on these risks and work with you to prepare relevant policies and procedures to ensure compliance, before the Privacy Commissioner or Courts and to mitigate your risk. If a breach occurs, our team can represent you.

The law protects workers from discrimination. We are experienced in advising employers on their rights and obligations under human rights law and related policies and procedures.

If a claim is brought against you, our team can represent you in the Human Rights Review Tribunal or Courts.