Getting off on the right foot
Setting up for success
Good employment relationships begin with a good recruitment process. Recruitment should end with information and systems that establish the employee’s role, your expectations and the employee’s rights.
No-one wants their relationship to be bound in paper, but written documentation can help reduce the risk of misunderstandings.
On the day the employee starts working you should put together a file including:
- “must haves”:
- a signed copy of your employment agreement with the employee or details of the collective agreement under which he or she has been employed
- a letter offering appointment
- evidence that the employee is entitled to work in New Zealand
- a completed tax code declaration (IR330) completed by the employee
- optional “good practice” items:
- a job description
- a personal profile
- an application form
- the employee’s personal information.
- You must also record:
- the employee’s time worked and wages earned
- holidays and leave earned and taken.
- In addition, you should record:
- details of citizenship or the work permit held if you have not included this on the application form
- the anniversaries when the employee becomes entitled to conditions under either minimum legal entitlements or additional provisions in the employment agreement
- details of who to contact in case of an emergency
- details of the bank account to be credited with wages (if this is the agreed method of payment).
Keeping this file updated, and recording any changes that affect the employee or the job, sets a good foundation of facts to prevent problems and to resolve problems if they emerge.
Your employee has the right to know everything you are recording on the file and should be given the opportunity to review it.
Induction
Good induction and ongoing training are critical to help employees to understand the job and perform well in your workplace. Both set the tone and expectations for the relationship.
Key elements of induction are:
- a full health and safety briefing covering:
- hazards within the workplace
- how to be safe from hazards
- the workplace evacuation plan
- an introduction to the health and safety representative
- providing any safety or other equipment required for the job and ensuring the employee is adequately trained in its use prior to working unsupervised
- informing the employee of any reporting requirements, such as who to contact in case of absence or in an emergency in the workplace
- clarifying expectations on attendance and breaks
- outlining (preferably in writing) any on- or off-the-job training that the employee can expect to receive and is expected to participate in
- the terms of any probation or trial period, including the support and guidance the employee will receive during the period (refer to talking actions)
- the expected performance standards, and when and how you will review and give feedback on performance
- introducing the employee to supervisors and co-workers, and the union delegate where there is one
- making available to the employee information on any relevant policies (for example, policies on internet and email, sexual harassment, codes of conduct, reimbursement of business expenses)
- explaining and, where appropriate, signing the employee up to any benefit schemes (such as medical insurance or superannuation).
It is worthwhile following up on these issues about a month after the employee starts work. You and the employee should confirm your mutual expectations and how you will deal with each other.
Establishing a performance management system
This handbook focuses on problems in the employment relationship, but performance management is a lot more than dealing with problems after they have arisen. Positive performance management is built into your relationship with every employee and is equally important for rewarding success as it is for dealing with problems.
Performance management is an ongoing cycle (usually annual) with three basic steps:
- Establishing agreed expectations for the job. Apart from the employment agreement and documenting routine duties, you and the employee may also want to agree on matters like:
- particular milestones the employee is to achieve and whether there will be extra reward for achieving them
- any training or skill development the employee needs and how that will be accomplished
- the employee’s longer-term aspirations and how you as employer might help the employee achieve them.
- Reviewing progress regularly and routinely. It is important that you and the employee review progress at an agreed interval (every quarter is typical) and discuss both successes and problems. The credibility of the process can be undermined if performance reviews are only held when you get around to it or when there is a problem.
- At each review, deal with any problems, recognise success, and revise the objectives for the coming period. This is the opportunity for you and the employee to agree on the state of your existing relationship and to work together on what the future should be. Over time, dealing with problems and seizing opportunities will become part of the fabric of your relationship.
The level of formality should reflect the circumstances of your workplace, but having regular discussions on performance enables you to raise issues as they arise, creating an atmosphere of trust and understanding that avoids problems – and that makes the rest of this handbook unnecessary.
Preventing employment relationship problems
Problems are least likely to arise when everyone in an employment relationship acts in “good faith”. This means dealing with each other honestly, openly and with mutual respect.
Acting in good faith is common sense and reduces the risk of conflict and problems. It is also a minimum requirement of the Employment Relations Act.
Some simple practices can make relationships smoother and help to prevent problems:
- Make sure your employees are well informed about their employment rights and responsibilities.
- Record agreements (and changes to agreements) in writing. This helps to prevent misunderstandings and to resolve problems if they arise later.
- Make it clear within the agreement that the terms of employment being offered are only those recorded in the written agreement, then avoid giving assurances that are inconsistent with the written agreement or that are not recorded in it.
- Your employees also have a responsibility to prevent and clear up confusion. For example, if an employee believes he or she is being paid more than the entitlements in their employment agreement, the employee should raise the error with you.
- Consult with the people potentially affected before making a significant change. Getting everyone’s ideas and perspectives will often lead to better decisions. People respond better to change when they have some warning and feel they have been listened to.
- Act early when problems start to appear. Raising concerns when they first arise can help stop them becoming bigger and harder to resolve. An effective performance management system is a good way of ensuring this.
- Think about how the other people in the relationship might react to what you plan to do. If you were in their place, how would you feel?
- Take time to communicate clearly. Poor communication often causes disputes and misunderstandings.
It is a good idea to record, in writing, important communications. Where they relate to performance problems with staff (such as oral warnings), it is even more important to keep some record of what is said and when. These records do not need to be complex, but they should be dated and record what has been said, and be stored on the employee’s file.
Procedures for resolving employment relationship problems
Every collective and individual employment agreement must contain a plain-language explanation of the processes for resolving employment relationship problems.
This explanation does not need to be complex or long. In fact, it should be written clearly, so that you know what processes you are required to follow, and your employees know what their rights are and what happens when a problem is raised.
An example of a plain-language explanation is contained in Appendix 5 of this handbook.
Four checklists outlining approaches to different employment relations problems are in the other appendices to this handbook.
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This page was last updated on:
31-Mar-2010
and is current.
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