A: Advice on recruitment can be found here.

A: Rotorua Lakes Council does not have 90 day trial periods in its individual or collective agreements.

A: See the section on employment agreements for a full explanation of how to put the right agreements in place and copies of our main agreements as well is information on how to document changes in status such as where the team member changes from casual to permanent employment or is promoted. 

A: Once the request has been received, it needs to go through a review and approval process – first to your manager and then to Organisational Development and Capability.  Rotorua Lakes Council must deal with a request as soon as possible and in any event no later than three months after it has been received. This is designed so that Rotorua Lakes Council has sufficient time to assess the impact of the request on the business. The has detailed information on how to handle these cases including the grounds on which you can decline an application and template letters to use to communicate your decision.  

A: Any significant change in status, such as a team member changing from casual to permanent employment or being promoted need to be approved as if it was a new hire and documented thoroughly. Our approval and documentation requirements are set out in the employment agreements section. 

A: See our section on different hours of work arrangements.

A: Your responsibilities, guidelines for planning induction checklists and other resources are set out in the onboarding section.

A: Click here for information on Health and Safety and your responsibilities as a manager.

A: We operate a workplace wellness programme called “WorkWell” in partnership with Toi Te Ora Public Health. The well-being section sets out all you need to know about our program and the resources available to you and your team.

A: Employee Assistance Program – If an team member has personal problems, including outside work issues that are causing them concern, you can refer them to EAP Services. A manager who wishes to refer a team member to EAP should discuss this with their manager or Organisational Development and Capability in the first instance. A decision as to if EAP services will be paid by Rotorua Lakes Council will made on a case by case basis having regard to the particular issues and situation of the team member.

A: Managers are responsible for knowing when the work visa of one of their direct reports is due to expire. A manager’s responsibility is to follow up with their team member about the status of their visa and to remind them that they need to undertake the immigration process to extend their legal entitlement to work at Rotorua Lakes Council. If the individual does not have a valid visa that entitles them to work, then they cannot continue to work past the expiry date. It is the staff member’s responsibility to apply for a new or renewed visa. Because immigration processes can take some time, it is important that sufficient time be allowed for this.

A: The values section of Kia Tū gives you practical tips for bringing our Values to life. It’s about how you recruit, onboard and set expectations. It’s about the feedback and coaching you give. It’s about praising behaviour that exemplifies our values in challenging the opposite. 

A: Our Performance and Development Programme is a core business process that works to align the efforts of teams and individuals with our purpose, vision and goals.   The performance development section of Kia Tū explains the three key elements of our year round PDP process and gives guidelines to help you lead PDP with your team.

A: Kia Tū has a section dedicated to giving advice tips and tools to help you become effective at giving feedback and coaching. These include conversation plans and tips for giving feedback and a useful coaching plan template.

A: We have a process for dealing with absenteeism. If a team member is late for work on more than one occasion, regularly or is a no show, talk to them when they next come to work so you gain an understanding of the reasons for them being absent or late. In the first instance you should explain your expectations regarding attendance and the implications for the business when they are late or do not show up for work. You should also identify the potential outcomes for the individual if they continue to be late or are regularly away from work without a reasonable explanation. If attendance continues to a problem without a good explanation or if there is a regular pattern of non attendance, this becomes a performance issue. Initially try our getting performance back on track conversation but if things do not turn around quickly move on to taking disciplinary action.

A: Information on managing sickness absence is available in the leave section of Kia Tū. 

A: We have a policy on how to handle  cases of potential abandonment. It requires a minimum absence of three days and that we make efforts to contact the team member before determining they have abandoned their employment. A: As a manager you should initiate this using the abandonment letter template. You should check the draft with your manager before you send it. Document the efforts you made to contact them.

A: The complaint should be in writing. As a manager you should then investigate the substance of the complaint and determine next steps. Depending on the circumstances it may be that<ahref=”https://rotorualakescouncil.ochre.nz/engage/setting-expectations/”>setting expectations, getting performance back on-track or a disciplinary process are warranted. Alternatively you may determine that there is no substance to the complaint. It is important to remember that during a disciplinary process the team member who was the subject of the complaint has the right, and we are required, to provide them with a copy of the complaint.

A: Our disciplinary policy outlines some of the behaviours that Rotorua Lakes Council considers to constitute misconduct (minor breaches that may warrant disciplinary action) or serious misconduct (misconduct so serious as to justify dismissal without notice).

• Its all set out in our disciplinary process.  If you are satisfied that there is a disciplinary case to answer, complete the template letter inviting the individual to the disciplinary meeting. Ensure that your specific concerns and the arrangements for the meeting are detailed and that any evidence you have (eg statements/leave records) is provided.
•  The draft letter should then be reviewed by your manager before you use it.
• You need to ensure that you issue the letter to the team member at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time. When issuing the letter, you should give the team member a brief overview of what is in the letter – but don’t get drawn into a conversation where the individual starts responding to the allegations – this should be done in the meeting itself.

A: Read the getting performance or behaviour back on track section for information.

A: Read the disciplinary action section for information.

A: Advice on suspension (when this is may be appropriate and the process to follow) is available here.  

A: Rotorua Lakes Council’s position on the use of alcohol, drugs and other substances is outlined in its policy. If you have good reason to believe that the individual has reported for work under the influence of alcohol or drugs, then follow our process flowchart  for dealing with people unfit for work. If you feel that the individual is not fit to safely and effectively perform their duties then they should be sent home. Disciplinary action may then follow. In this instance follow the advice on suspension.

A: The leave section of Kia Tū has all of this information. Also, the employment law summaries section contains a plain English description of all the major pieces of employment legislation likely to impact you and your team. This includes straightforward summaries of the Holidays Act 2003. If you need more contact Organisational Development and Capability.

A: The payroll administrator is able to provide this information to managers.

A: The leave section of Kia Tū outlines our policy in relation to Jury Service. A: If your team member is called for Jury Service and they want to attend or have not been granted an exemption from doing do, then you must approve this. A leave application form must be completed by the team member for the days that they would otherwise be working. This needs to be signed by the manager and then forwarded to payroll. A: Your team member may wish to apply for an exemption from Jury Service because they believe they are unable to attend because of their job and the nature of our business. If you agree, then you may provide a letter supporting their request.  

A: Team members may request to cash out up to a maximum of one weeks annual leave in each entitlement year. Entitlement year means a period of 12 months continuous employment beginning at the anniversary of the individual’s employment. A: Team members may only apply to cash up annual leave that they became entitled to from 1 April 2011. Any leave accumulated from previous years may not be cashed out. A: Annual leave cash requests will only be approved in a block of one week ie: one cash up per year of entitlement may be requested. The request to cash up annual leave may be declined at our discretion. A: The team member must submit their request in writing by completing a Rotorua Lakes Council leave application form.

A: An annual leave balance of over 4 weeks or 20 days (whichever is greater) is considered excessive. A: As a manager, one of your responsibilities is to manage leave balances to an acceptable level. We need to ensure that our people maintain a healthy work-life balance and take their allocated leave each year. The effective management of excessive balances also reduces the cost liability on the business. A: If an team member’s leave balance is more than 20 days at any time it is your responsibility as a manager to talk to them and mutually agree when that portion of their leave should be taken. To that end, you should ask those team members with excessive leave to submit their preferred holiday dates. Wherever possible the aim should be to reach a mutually acceptable arrangement for the taking of annual leave. However, failing that (and after seeking your department manager’s sign-off) you can stipulate, with a minimum of 14 days notice, when the leave needs to be taken. Your manager or Organisational Development and Capability can provide advice on this process and individual circumstances.

A: The Employment Relations Act provides that union members can receive paid employment relations education leave (EREL). A union can allocate a certain amount of EREL to its members. The team member must provide Rotorua Lakes Council at least ten working days notice before taking the leave. As a manager you can only refuse to let the team member take leave if taking the leave would unreasonably disrupt the business.

A: Yes. If a team member is away for a period shorter than three consecutive calendar days (that includes weekend days whether worked or not) we may require them to bring a medical certificate.  We will pay reasonable costs for their getting the certificate. Team members may also be required to submit to a medical examination to ensure there are no relevant health and safety reasons that would prevent them from working to full capacity. Typically if you plan to request a medical certificate for absence of less than three days you should have reasonable cause to believe that the team member is not genuinely sick (or caring for a partner, dependent child, parent or partner’s parent who is genuinely sick). Reasonable cause includes but is not limited to circumstances such as where the team member  shows a suspicious recurring pattern of sick leave, where the team member shows no signs of illness before the leave or they are seen out on the day of illness appearing in good health. Under prevailing legislation Rotorua Lakes Council is required to pay the costs of obtaining the certificate where the absence is shorter than three days.

A: The process, entitlements and managers responsibilities are outlined in the leave section of  Kia Tū. 

A: Kia Tū has a section dedicated to helping you grow your team. Includes techniques and options for on-the-job training such as mentoring, using in-house experts and job shadowing. It also describes the training support available to you and coaches you in how to delegate effectively and lead change within your team.

A: To encourage and support our team members in performing at their peak we offer a Total Reward approach including five programs. These are Wellbeing, Development, Benefits, Culture and Recognition. Click here for information on each of these programs.

A: Click here for information on our annual remuneration process.

A: We generally deal with the question of pay rises at remuneration review time and reviews outside the annual cycle won’t be available. For information on some of the situations that might arise and how to handle them, click here.  

A: Kia Tū has a section dedicated to handling resignation including a step-by-step process describing what you need to do. That section also explains what to do if you have concerns about the genuineness of the resignation including whether the person was somehow pressured into resigning or intends to claim that they were pressured into resigning.

A: There is no legal requirement on Rotorua Lakes Council to provide a team member  or ex team member with a reference, whether written or verbal. There are, as described below, legal risks for Rotorua Lakes Council in providing references. Rotorua Lakes Councils practice is not to provide written employment references from the company but a manager may wish to provide a verbal reference. Weigh up these risks and follow the tips below if you are asked for a reference.

Legal Risks

• The team member must authorise any reference: The Privacy Act 1993 Principles specify that you cannot disclose personal information on an employee or ex-employee to anyone else without the authorisation of the employee concerned.
• Your reference can give rise to a defamation action: Case law makes it clear that Rotorua Lakes Council or anyone representing the employer has a duty of care to provide information on team members that is both fair and accurate. To criticise someone unreasonably and without basis is defamatory.
• Given these risks you may decide not to give a verbal reference when asked by the team member. A safe alternative, if a team member asks for a reference, is to arrange a certificate of service.  The Certificate of Service provides a statement of how long the person was employed – start and end dates, the role or roles they had and the duties they performed. If a prospective employer calls to ask for more information you are, of course, entitled to decline.

Tips for giving a verbal reference

• Do not provide a reference until you hold a copy of the team members authorisation for that person to seek that reference.
• Do check first with the team member or ex team member on each occasion a reference is sought before disclosing any information.
• Do ensure that the content of any reference is factual and accurate and limit information given answering the question being asked but don’t volunteer unsolicited opinions or information that is not asked for.
• Do ensure the identity of the caller and if in doubt, take the person’s name and or phone number and arrange to return their call later – this enables a check to be made.

A: Rotorua Lakes Council has a number of people related polices. These can be accessed here.