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Great Citizen Moments

Some shout outs to people making a difference, big and small The aforementioned bugle players on the morning of 25th April 2020… Much, quite rightly, has been made of our healthcare essential workers, but we also want to recognise our other essential service providers who have kept the rubbish off our streets, the water in our taps, the electricity in our power lines and the wastewater treated.  How much worse would isolation have been without you! You for the neighbourly t...

Keeping Your Team Together

Keeping connectedFocusing on personal and business resilienceBuilding and maintaining teams Many of you know that this is stuff that we do well….and it’s never been more important.  Normally we run sessions like this in your business, working with you as the business leader to work out what your objectives are and then formatting a programme.   We’ve been working really hard on ways to deliver this ‘remotely’ and are now ready to go….and the first five ...

Minimum Wage Increase

The minimum wage increased on 1 April to $18.90 and if your employees are working then you must pay them a minimum of this hourly rate (except if they are on the starting out and training wage) for all work that they do. If your business is affected by COVID-19 and is not receiving any revenue then you may be exempt…take a look at Employment New Zealand’s advice on this in the below link, and if you have any questions give us a call https://www.employment.govt.nz/leave-and-holidays/othe...

Great Citizens Moments

This month our ‘shout outs’ are to people who can help us make a difference, big or small Salvation Army and Countdown making a difference through a new ‘food bank’ process https://www.foodbank.org.nz As I queued at my local Pak n Save in Te Awamutu for groceries yesterday (yep, queuing for groceries, who’d have thought) the store sent out one of their team members with bottles of water to help us all keep hydrated whilst we waited in the sun….Good ...

Can We Help Your Business?

There isn’t a business in NZ that isn’t touched in some way by the current COVID-19 crisis…and we want to make sure our clients are getting it right during this difficult and constantly changing timeThere are likely to be increased risks to your business as we navigate these difficult times and some of our clients have already experienced employee representatives trying to cajole and take advantage of them as they try and do the right thing by their teams.  So, whether your busin...

Great Citizen Moments...

Some shout outs to people making a difference, big and small And one year after the terrible events of Christchurch 2019 we celebrate All new New Zealanders…no matter how long you’ve been here, we salute you for the contribution you are making to our country, the diversity we all bring which makes us stronger, and the sacrifices you’ve made to be here….kia kaha The Young Guy at FreshChoice Supermarket in Te Awamutu who earlier this month rescued my niece when she got...

Where to go for Advice

Repeating the important contacts we circulated last month…There’s lots of useful information but the key points for employers are: Ministry of Health Advice https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus?utm_source=business.govt.nz&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=special_cv_edition Healthline has a free dedicated phone number for health advice and information about coronavirus, including registering self-isolation. You can call 0800 358 54...

Your Business' Pandemic Plan

In our last newsletter we talked about businesses needing to have a Pandemic plan.  This is now essential:  Under H&S legislation you have an obligation to identify hazard and have in place a plan to mitigate any risks.  The pandemic is no exception, it is now clearly a risk in New Zealand and you need to have a plan. As a minimum this plan will include: Identification of the riskControls you will put in place to eliminate, isolate or mitigate the riskA communicatio...

'Pandemic Leave' & Isolation Support

Self-isolation is an important way to slow the spread of COVID-19.  From 17 March 2020 the Government’s COVID-19 Leave Payment will be available to support people financially if they need to self-isolate, cannot work because they are sick with COVID-19 or cannot work because they are caring for dependents who are required to self-isolate or who are sick with COVID-19. The COVID-19 Leave Payment will be available for 8 weeks from 17 March 2020. Employers will be able to apply for this more...

Inspiration

Inspired….Here at No8HR we’re constantly on the look out for inspiring and uplifting clips….and they don’t come any better than this YouTube clip about the Shen Yun dance troupe…trust me, this goes way beyond dance and straight to the heart of resilience and the human spirit! click here to watch...

Great Citizen Moments…

Some shout outs to people making a difference, big and small We really liked this $3m pledge from A2 Milk to Carona Virus research and relief – Good on yah!  https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/119472952/a2-milk-pledges-3m-to-coronavirus-research-and-relief?cid=app-iPhone Amid the rush into Christmas the NZ Primary Sector Council unveiled their vision for the future of New Zealands Primary Industries:  Fit for a Better World, establishes an anchor f...

COVID-19 (Caronavirus)

The government has produced Corona Virus information for businesses that we all need to be across.  There’s lots of useful information but the key points for employers are: Healthline has a free dedicated phone number for health advice and information about coronavirus, including registering self-isolation. You can call 0800 358 5453, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Access to interpreters is also available. For international SIMS, call +64 9 358 5453. WorkSafe New Zealand has info...

2019 Law change round-up....

With labour having a heavy legislation agenda this year we’ve all been impacted….from the banning of single use plastic bags to new responsibilities for landlords to the inevitable changes to H&S an employment legislation – it’s been a busy year…. Click HERE for a useful ‘law changes’ round up for 2019 for you to check against….and some early heads up on changes that will come into effect in 2020.  Make sure you’re heading into the festive season with y...

Festive Season Opening Times

Like everyone we’re looking forward to sun, fun and some festive time with friends and family over the coming Festive period.  Our offices will be closed from Friday 20th December and will re-open on Monday 6th January.   All the more reason for you to get in touch now to list that vacancy for action either this side of Christmas or first thing in the new year....

Keeping tenancy and employment relationships clear

For a long time here at No8HR we have urged our clients who have on-farm accommodation to treat their tenancy arrangements separate to their employment arrangements.   This means having separate tenancy and employment agreements, with an authorisation to deduct rent either in the IEA or separately but signed by your team member. There are new laws impacting you as a landlord (follow this link) and getting really clear about what needs to be done as a landlord is as important as ot...

Looking After Ourselves and Others in the Sun

We found this great article from business.govt.nz about working outdoors and keeping safe in the sun.  NZ has some of the harshest sun in the world and people in our team, along with hundreds of thousands of other NZ’s have had cancerous and pre-cancerious melanoma removed….it just makes super-good sense to do everything we can to avoid this in the future by looking after ourselves today. See the steps to keep your workers safe...

Employing Overseas Workers

With low unemployment continuing in New Zealand and the requirement for work on our farms continuing to increase, migrant workers is an increasingly popular avenue for employers to explore.   No8HR is working with Immmigration Specialists Pathways to help employers who want to source migrant workers have confidence they are not only getting good migrant workers but that they can be confident in the process that will see their team member successfully in New Zealand. At No8HR we also work wi...

Secure that next career move so you can really enjoy the Festive Season....

Whether you’re a farming professional looking for your next ‘moove’ or an agribusiness specialist looking to accelerate your career, we’ve got opportunities now!   Sales professionalsContract milkersFM, 2IC and other on-farm roles Get in front of the rest and make sure your career flies into 2020….take a look at HERE!...

Team member of the month - Jesus Ungria

Jesus works for Aquila Sustainable Farming Ltd as a Herd Manager on one of their farms. Read below to see why Jessica (Policy and Planning Manager) nominated Jesus for Team Member of the Month. Jesus attention to detail is second to none, everything is always put away and easy to find. Visitors always comment on the cleanliness of the shed, because it stands out as being a step above what would even be expected of the tidiest sheds you might find. Jesus, along with all the team at...

What not to do...

We couldn’t resist sharing this one with you…..have a read...

Training opportunities coming up…

Do you need to up skill yourself or your team members? Is there a knowledge gap you need to fill? Are you looking for better outcomes for your business? We have so many training opportunities coming up, view the link below to view our courses and upcoming dates in your area.Click here to view our training courses...

New faces in the No8HR Team

Over the last few weeks we’ve had Suzanne and Shelley join our teams.  Working primarily in the recruitment teams we’re excited to have been able to attract such talented and knowledgable  team members.   Sue will be taking lead this dairy recruitment season with our applicants, checking in on you and making sure you’re good to go.  Sue and her husband currently contract milk in the Waikato and her experience will help ensure the match between applicant a...

And while we’re on the subject of recruitment...

Watch out if you do work based tests or trials as part of your recruitment process that you are very clear about this with your applicants and they know that it is part of the recruitment process and that they won’t be paid.  The law is clear, you can’t use work–based trials in the assessment process for anything except assessing the applicants skills.   If you use work-based tests or trials (and you should) take a look at Employment New Zealand’s guidance on this here...

Looking for a change? Its time to think about getting that job that meets all your needs!

Registering with No8HR means that when we list jobs with employers that meet the criteria you identify, you’ll get automatic job alerts to your inbox…..no having to scroll endless positions, no having to search for the right opportunity…it lands right with you.  And a few clicks later you will have registered your interest and you’re in to win (your new role). So register today here to make sure you don’t miss out on that dream job…...

You probably don’t want to hear this….If you’re employing the dairy sector it’s time to think about recruitment!

I know it’s hard to believe….it’s nearly recruitment time again in the dairy sector.  We’ve already got a few vacancies listed and are speaking with clients about what their needs might be for the coming season.   New Hot Candidates Page In response to requests from our clients we have intoduced a new ‘hot candidates’ page on our website.  These are candidates who have been pre-qualified by us, are reference checked and ready to go….  Bo...