Breaching employment standards is not only illegal but can also be a costly matter. It pays to understand the consequences and processes that can occur if the law is not followed. Payroll forms a vital role between Employee and Employer and should never be manipulated.
With the latest Employment New Zealand news in the headlines, a business owner has been found liable for a hefty fine and penalties, as a result of breaches to the Holidays Act with regards to four staff members. The company failed to provide minimum wage for all the employee’s hours worked and had two sets of records – one for MBIE and one for themselves.
It is off-putting reading about migrant exploitation, and in this case, both the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) and the Labour Inspectorate agreed that the Employer did this intentionally, exploiting the vulnerability of migrant staff. Many migrants are not familiar with their rights and some even feel so lucky to have a job that they do not pursue their rights to earn a living wage.
As disheartening it is to hear about Employers abusing payroll, we at Integrity1 not only do ensure that payroll is correct with compliance and legislation, we also believe that businesses should enact and uphold their business ethically with utmost transparency.
Employment NZ report migrant exploitation
Phone: 0800 200 0800
Report Migrant exploitation
Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment
Phone: 0800 20 00 88
Addressing temporary migrant worker exploitation
While the article focuses on a small business, it is an issue that can be prevalent regardless of business size, and we all need to ensure a better future for the relations between employer and employees, that is both ethical and sustainable.
We at Intergrity1 are also proud to have recently been approved by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) as an Accredited Employer. As a proudly owned New Zealand Company, we support a multi-culture environment in the workplace and are proud to support the talent of our staff.
Talk to us about Payroll, we are here to help.