Welcome to our first Employment Bulletinnewsletter! The Employment Bulletin will be a bi-monthly publication aimed to keep you informed on topical and relevant employment issues. Federated Farmers has you covered when it comes to employment matters and remember, by calling 0800 FARMING and www.fedfarm.org.nz you can access free employment advice, heavily discounted employment contracts and agreements, rural jobs and now a dedicated employment newsletter. Enjoy!

The public holidays over the Easter period are Good Friday and Easter Monday. Easter Sunday is NOT a public holiday. This means that those employees who normally work on Sunday are not entitled to a paid day off, or time and a half for the hours they work (unless this is provided for in their employment agreement). Easter Sunday (4 April) is also a restricted trading day, which means that some shops must close on this day.

Employers who employ 19 or fewer employees are able to offer trial periods of up to 90 days to new employees. Any trial period that is agreed to with a new employee must be agreed to in good faith and in writing as part of their employment agreement. The written employment agreement must also be signed by both parties at the beginning of the employment relationship. Remember, it is a legal requirement to have an employment contract for EVERY employee and Federated Farmers members can purchase these at the special price of $45 (non-member price $150). The Individual Employment Agreement can be purchased by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.

Where, by reason of pregnancy, an employee is unable to perform her work safely or adequately, her employer may, if no other suitable work is available, direct her to commence maternity leave on an appointed date. This date can be up to six weeks prior to the expected date of delivery. Remember also, an employee is entitled to take at least eight weeks of maternity leave after the expected date of delivery and, if necessary, can extend the duration of her maternity leave.

Did you know that as an employer, you must keep wages and time records for each employee for six years. The Holidays Act 2003 keeps the requirement to maintain a holiday and leave record in addition to the requirement to maintain a wage and time record. It is also useful to record the date on which employees become entitled to sick and bereavement leave to avoid any disputes over entitlement. Employees, their representatives and any labour inspector also have the right to request to see these records at any time.

A job description is a vital part of your employment agreement. A well defined job description will make not only your life easier, but your employees' lives easier, too. When your workers know and understand exactly where their tasks and responsibilities start and finish, there will never be cause for confusion. A good job description does not have to be a huge document, it can be simple and concise. As long as it is clearly understood by all parties concerned, it will work for everyone. If your workers understand exactly what it is that they are there to do and what responsibilities and accountabilities they have, they will be able to work at a greater efficiency rate.

The Government has moved to increase the adult minimum wage from $12.50 to $12.75 in line with the Consumer Price Index. The training and new entrants' minimum wages will increase from $10 to $10.20. The new minimum wage rates will come into effect on Thursday, 1 April 2010.

A reminder that when employment ends and a tenancy agreement is involved, any notice to end a tenancy must be in writing, give the address of the tenancy, give the date when the tenancy is to end and be signed by the person giving the notice. Notice can be served by fax, mail or by one party giving the notice to the other party (either in person or by placing it in the letterbox). If the notice is posted, an extra four working days should be allowed for receipt of the notice. If the notice is left in the recipient's letterbox, an extra two working days should be allowed. Notice to terminate a tenancy can be given on any day of any week to end on any day of any week regardless of when rent is normally paid, or the period that it usually covers.

A recent employment termination case outlines the importance of following fair and reasonable procedures prior to terminating an employee's employment. An employee, who was dismissed for having given or sold drugs to another employee, was awarded $12,000 in damages after their employer failed to follow fair process prior to dismissal. It also outlines the necessity for employers to have a full and comprehensive drug and alcohol policy established in the workplace. For more information, please contact the Federated Farmers employment advice line on 0800 327 646.