Employment Rights & Responsibilities - A Refresh
When you're in Business, it can feel as though you're constantly busy and often the last thing you feel like doing is keeping up to date with the latest in legislation. However, having a regular refresh can save you time and energy further down the line.
A topic of interest we've discovered of late, is hiring new employees - with a particular focus on hiring and paying employees under the age of 16. We'd like to keep you all up to date on this topic so please have a read through if you think this may affect your business!
The Benefits of Hiring a Younger Employee:
First up it's important not to be put off by the daunting prospect of starting over and training a young person in your Business. They bring with them a number of benefits, including;
- Acting as an investment in the future of your workforce.
- Having a keen interest and aptitude for dealing with technology.
- Training of Young Staff Members can be a useful tool in developing the skills of your more Senior Staff force.
- Can inject fresh new ideas into a Business.
- Are often keen and highly motivated.
Hiring in the Under 16 age Bracket:
Particularly in the Dairy Industry we are seeing younger staff members hired for casual roles. However in many businesses, high school students are being hired to help pick up additional work hours and cover weekend shifts. If you're hiring under the age of 16, you need to consider a few points:
Minimum Wage - Currently there is no minimum wage rate for employees under the age of 16 (as outlined by Employment New Zealand). This means that anyone hiring below this age bracket needs to negotiate with the employee on a rate considered suitable for their age and experience. On that note, it's important to mention that all other rights and responsibilities of both employee and employer remain the same as with any other employment relationship.
Once an Employee reaches the age of 16, they must then be paid the relevant minimum wage in line with whether they are a Trainee or Apprentice, Starting out or moving onto the Adult minimum wage (this last rate requires a significant level more experience and responsibility and should be reviewed regularly). Please see below for a summary of current minimum wage rates:
- Adult - $20 per Hour.
- Starting Out or Trainee - $16 per Hour.
Rights of the Employee - every employee whether they be under the age of 16 or not, has a minimum set of rights which must be adhered to. These include (but are not limited to):
- Every employee must have a written employment agreement.
- Employers are to provide a safe workplace (this includes allowing for proper training and servicing of equipment for use).
- To be able to work free from Discrimination.
- Adequate Rest and Meal Breaks.
- Annual Holidays (or for casual employees - Holiday pay at 8% can be agreed to).
Helpful tools and websites:
If you have found this topic interesting and would like to learn more, please click on the link below for the latest guide to employment released by Employment New Zealand.
Or, if you're hiring a new employee and find yourself unsure of any of the above areas please get in touch with us. We understand this is something that applies to everyone, no matter the industry and we're happy to help!
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