A Quick Guide to Restructuring
The current economic climate in NZ means employers are facing the challenges of rising costs. As a result we are seeing organisational restructures becoming more common as businesses look at ways to reduce costs and/or increase efficiency.
The starting point is that an employer is entitled to reduce its workforce if it does not have the work available. Likewise employers can also make changes to their organisation to make it more efficient or more profitable.
However employers do need to ensure that the restructure is substantively justified and the process followed is fair otherwise they risk personal grievances being raised.
Just Be Nice to Each Other
I have a hatred of the misuse of the word Purport to the extent where I have advised the young ones in my office that if they use the word in the wrong context, I will fire them.
Such is my hatred of the misuse of this word that I have engaged in a rather petty argument with a lawyer in Auckland about her misuse of the word in correspondence.
The case of the non-compliant swimming pool
The recent decision of Buchanan v Tasman District Council concerned determining whether (and to what extent) a Council could be held liable for a Code Compliance Certificate mistakenly having been issued on multiple occasions for a swimming pool at a residential property.
Hate Speech - What is it?
The term ‘hate speech’ does not appear in any New Zealand legislation. A general definition could be:
Any form of communication that is threatening, abusive or insulting to a serious degree against a group or a member of a group on the basis of a shared characteristic of that group such as religion, national origin, skin colour, race, etc.
Justified Dismissal - It can be done!
Employers are often exasperated and complain to us that it is impossible to dismiss someone while following all the rules – it’s not!!
