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The Employment Court recently issued a decision relating to whether employers were entitled to require employees to take annual leave during the Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020. Three employees brought a case against Carter Holt Harvey LVL Limited ("the Company") after the Company told staff that they would need to take eight days leave during the lockdown in April 2020.

Exploitation in the workplace could exist in many forms and could happen to any employee, whether you are a migrant or otherwise. However, it is observed that foreigners are more vulnerable to becoming victims of exploitation due to their unfamiliarity with the relevant laws and not knowing their rights as employees in New Zealand. This is why workplace exploitation is more commonly referred to as 'migrant exploitation'.

You will likely have heard the term "The Great Resignation". Over the last few months we have had a number of clients approach us for ideas and wanting to know how they can set their organisation apart from others in order to retain staff.

Significant changes are coming to the immigration sector in New Zealand, which will have major repercussions on employers who are intending to hire migrants to work in New Zealand. The Accredited Employer Work Visa ("AEWV") is a new temporary work visa being introduced on 4 July 2022. This new visa is one step in the Government's five step plan for reconnecting New Zealand to the world after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should we include a probationary period in the employment agreement? As per our previous article, "90 Day Trial Periods", if you have 20 or more employees you cannot include a trial period in an employment agreement, as an alternative, many employers choose to include a probationary period.