Hiring someone new is a big step—so how do you know when the time is right? In this article, we explore the key things to consider before growing your team, from aligning with your business strategy to understanding the real cost of bringing someone on board. With right planning, it can be one of the best investments you make, read on if this is where your business is heading.

EASI NZ is excited to expand our donation-based CV Confidence Workshops across the Southland. Designed for job seekers, migrants, and newcomers, these sessions offer practical skills to craft strong CVs, navigate Kiwi work culture, and understand employee rights—empowering you to succeed in New Zealand’s job market. Whether you’re starting your first job or transitioning careers, these workshops are designed to empower you every step of the way.

This article explains how SMEs in New Zealand can use job sizing to ensure fair and equitable pay, especially for complex hybrid roles. It outlines the process of evaluating role responsibilities and skills to establish consistent, fair pay structures that promote transparency, improve retention, and support compliance with pay equity laws.

Future-proofing tech recruitment in New Zealand requires a focus on emerging technical skills like Flutter and DevOps, alongside soft skills such as adaptability and emotional intelligence. Embracing upskilling, hybrid leadership, and inclusive hiring strategies will help organizations stay competitive in the evolving digital landscape.

In light of New Zealand’s updated Equal Pay legislation, leading with fairness and transparency in pay is more important than ever. Proactive leadership, regular pay audits, and open conversations foster trust, attract talent, and align your organization with legal and ethical standards for pay equity.

Understanding human reactions in crises—fight, flight, freeze, and fawn—is vital for effective emergency response. Learn how to recognize these behaviors and support your team with tailored guidance, fostering calm and safety in high-pressure situations.

Trust is the foundation of any successful workplace relationship. As recognized by the Employment Relations Act 2000, "mutual trust and confidence" is crucial for a thriving employment environment. In our latest article, we explore effective strategies to cultivate trust within your organization. From open communication and embracing mistakes as learning opportunities to empowering autonomy and fostering accountability, discover how to create a collaborative atmosphere where trust can flourish.

As we continue to advance into 2025, one trend stands out prominently: the conversation around generational differences in the workplace is shifting. Instead of focusing on age or background, the emphasis must be on hiring the right candidate based on their skills, values, qualifications, and experience.

While skills can be taught, trained, or learned, instilling values and achieving cultural fit is considerably more challenging.

In today’s dynamic workplace, an accurate job description is more than just a checklist of tasks—it’s a cornerstone of effective performance management and a critical tool for nurturing a positive company culture. Let’s explore why crafting precise job descriptions is essential for both employees and employers.

A well-defined job description sets the stage for success. Let us guide you how.

If an employee raises a Personal Grievance, you as the employer must be given the opportunity to understand the grievance and address it.

If informal discussions and mediation through the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) don’t resolve the issue, the next step is a formal investigation hearing with the ERA.

But here’s the hard truth: this process isn’t just emotionally draining—it can also be expensive.

Follow the story of Veolia to take a look how things can be not as smooth as originally intended.

As a Manager or Employer, the chances are you’ve heard that phrase at least once from a staff member, if not multiple times during your career. And when you’re already under pressure, it’s enough to make your blood boil!

Let’s face it, for a lot of us “survive til ’25” was a rough ride and the tunnel to “thrive in ‘25” might feel like it isn’t getting any shorter, as we stare off to the second half of the year.

In the second half of 2024 we often heard “survive till 2025” in the business world.  With 2025 in full swing, how are things looking in your business? 

Despite ongoing political and economic uncertainty, the business community recognises the need to move forward.  For some, this means pursuing goals and taking risks; for others, it requires making tough decisions, from strategic shifts to structural changes. 

Restructures and redundancies are tough

As we dive into recent recruitment trends, it's clear that moving forward, we need to listen up and shake up the way we approach hiring. Here are some key insights:

Walk the Talk

Businesses, it's time to represent yourselves authentically because 85%* of job seekers check out your reviews before they even consider applying. Remember, they are ultimately picking you. Ensure your online presence accurately reflects your values and culture.

Spoiler alert: Great crisis leadership isn’t about having all the answers in the moment. It’s about preparing ahead of time, so when the pressure’s on, you don’t make things worse.

Let’s be honest—crises don’t RSVP. They don’t give you a polite heads-up before flipping your world upside down. One minute, business as usual. The next? Chaos.

When the unexpected happens, your team is looking to you. Will you be the calm, collected leader who guides them through the storm—or the deer in proverbial headlights?

Spoiler alert: Great crisis leadership isn’t about having all the answers in the moment. It’s about preparing ahead of time, so when the pressure’s on, you don’t make things worse.

Even if you win a brand-new bach, you'll still need to consider electrical work and maintenance. No electrical system is immune to natural ageing, and without intending to, you might misuse your electrical appliances.

Staying dry and pest free

Moisture, animal infestations, and normal wear and tear mean that wiring needs to be inspected every few years. To extend the lifespan of your electrical systems, investing in a good dehumidifier and ensuring your home remains pest-free with a few rodent traps are sound investments.

Let’s face it: recruitment, onboarding, and training are expensive. Yet, many businesses underestimate the true cost of turnover and miss the opportunity to invest in the talent they already have. If you want a thriving business, it’s time to rethink how you recruit, promote, and develop your team. By focusing on what makes people truly thrive, you can foster a culture of growth, productivity, and loyalty—one that pays off in the long run. 

Most of us know intuitively that good communication is a requirement in our everyday lives whether it be in a social or work setting.

In the workplace, good communication is not only essential to the economic health of a business /organisation, but also a legal obligation.

The obligation is there to purposely avoid creating situations where employees may feel hurt or humiliated by your actions or words.

If this is you, you certainly aren’t alone – it’s pretty common place to hear small business owners tell us that they are too busy working in the business to work on it.  As the year comes to a close and another looms, we’d suggest taking a moment to reflect on when you last review all your HR documents, policies and systems. 

·      Are they still up to date? 

·      Do they actually reflect what is currently happening in your business? 

·      Have you been meaning to put them in place, but things have been ticking along okay so they keep getting pushed to the bottom of the pile? 

Hiring the right person isn’t just about what’s on paper. A CV provides a snapshot but doesn’t tell the whole story. Relying solely on it could mean missing out on exceptional talent. Let’s address common biases—particularly age bias—and discuss strategies for a fair recruitment process.

The devastation caused by the fires in Canada and the West Coast of America has been overwhelming this year. It’s hard to even comprehend what a fire like that would do to our world in Otago. Especially we are entering into what is predicted to be a long hot summer.

I recently listened to a 99% Invisible podcast episode called ‘Built to Burn’. The guest speaker was Jack Cohen an experienced Forest Service research scientist who has spent a lifetime studying fire behaviour. He had a lot of interesting things to say.