Changes in COVID Alert Levels can result in significant economic effects, so it is important for businesses to understand what government support is and will be available What is available at COVID-19 Alert Level 3 or 4 In the event Alert Levels escalate to Level 3 or higher for a period of seven days or more, there will be a new wage subsidy scheme put in place. Continue →

Kwotimation, which has already secured $500,000 of funding, addresses the most common bugbear for tradies: creating a quote and securing the job Initially focused on tilers, Kwotimation is the brainchild of mates Josh Faraimo and Jarome Cavubati and equips tilers to create a complete website and automated online pricing system in a matter of minutes. Continue →

Since July 2020, New Zealand has had at least 10 border control failures and at least five “internal MIQ facility failures” involving the spread of COVID-19 between returnees Prof Nick Wilson, Dr Leah Grout, Prof Michael Baker – University of Otago There have been ongoing system improvements to address these failures, but hotel-based facilities have inherent problems with shared spaces and inadequate ventilation, as recognised in WHO guidance. Continue →

In June 2020, a court decision resulted in an impact to the way workplace investigations are regulated, leaving many employment and health & safety service providers scrambling to obtain the appropriate licence Those who carry out workplace investigations are required to hold a Private Investigator licence or be regulated under another Act or scheme. Continue →

Sick building syndrome, which blames factors like heating and air conditioning for sickness, days off and poor performance has been a worry since the 80’s COVID-19 has highlighted the need for a fresh focus on intelligent ventilation systems. Continue →

Business owners are required to work with WorkSafe inspectors carrying out site visits or they run the risk of facing enforcement action Manawatu dairy farmer Daniel Reuel Sproull has been fined $4000 after he prevented inspectors from accessing his property failed to attend or make alternative arrangements to complete a required interview at WorkSafe’s offices. Continue →

Law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts reflects on what have been the dominant features of 2020 and looks back on the trends we have seen develop over the past 12 months This year, COVID-19 has obviously dominated workplace health and safety. Continue →

Regardless of what industry you’re in, safety matters in every type of workplace environment, which is why so many business owners and safety managers are looking for new and updated ideas to keep employees safe, happy, and healthy Some of the following tips may seem like common sense, but they bear repeating and reminding employees about regularly. Continue →

This year, Boxing Day and the day after New Year’s Day fall on a Saturday and are ‘Mondayised’ – how this affects employees depends on when they would normally work Some public holidays are attached to a specific day of the week, for example, Queen’s Birthday is always on a Monday. Continue →

Despite this year’s wave of cyber attacks which brought down NZX and a massive digital shift driven by Covid, Kiwis are not adjusting their behaviours around cyber security fast enough, CERT NZ finds Research by CERT NZ, the government entity that tracks cyber breaches, found 87 percent of New Zealanders acknowledge security of their personal information online is important but 40 percent say safeguarding their information is inconvenient. Continue →

New Zealand’s building and construction industry can lift its poor productivity by establishing a digital database on building products, a BRANZ funded report from GS1 New Zealand finds This opportunity is explored in “Digital Product Data for Lifting Productivity” – a major new report from GS1 New Zealand on how such a digital database, or repository, would support the building and construction industry and on feasible steps for its establishment. Continue →

Introducing safety knives into the workplace is one of the easiest ways to reduce cut injuries, but with so many options available, where do you start? Continue →

After a company had its data locked up and held for ransom, they failed to pay the multimillion-dollar demand, prompting the hackers to start leaking the stolen data online Adam Janofsky – The Record by Recorded Future This so-called double extortion ransomware attack threw a wrench in the conventional wisdom for how to minimize the impact of these incidents. Continue →

Four businesses have been ordered to pay penalties after charging new workers for costs related to their employment This follows a case brought to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), by the Labour Inspectorate against four Christchurch grocery stores. Continue →

Two men have been sentenced after poorly planned excavation work caused a power pole to fall onto a suburban road Project manager Hayim Nahum engaged Kumar Vasist to install a retaining wall and construct a car deck at a property in Wellington in February 2018. Continue →

Global research reveals confidence and capability gap between business leaders and employees that could slow economic recovery Business leaders and employees are aligned when it comes to rating the importance of skills development within an organisation, but poles apart when it comes to the confidence they will achieve it, according to worldwide research commissioned by Cornerstone OnDemand, a global leader in cloud-based learning and human capital management software.  Continue →

Will cannabis be legalised and what does this mean for employers? Continue →

83% of C-level executives expect the changes they made in people, processes and applications as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic to become permanent, but this sudden shift has created security blind spots, according to data from a Radware report According to the report, C-Suite Perspectives: Accelerated Cloud Migration but Lagging Security, pandemic-driven changes affected various aspects of business, 44% of executives surveyed reported a negative impact on budgets, 43%  reported a workforce reduction, while 37% reported reduced real estate footprints. Continue →

Online criminal groups are exploiting the fear brought about by the novel coronavirus to target people and organisations Although New Zealand has been quite successful at crushing the Covid-19 curve,  the crisis is forcing individuals and businesses to embrace new practices such as remote working and social distancing . Continue →

COVID-19 has changed where some of us work, which can come with new challenges around employment law, health and safety, as well as costs, privacy and data security issues Changes to employment agreements Employers should consider whether they need to update the employment agreement to reflect the variations made to working arrangements. Continue →