It seems in recent years, we have, in a series of waves, realised how tricky the Holidays Act is to interpret and apply.  We now know many employers, including many government departments, have historically got it quite wrong.  In my practice now more than ever I am ha...

Seems a long time ago that I blogged about the huge bulk of information that an employer might gather about an employee, and the issues that both parties need to be aware of in dealing with such information.  I promised to write some more about what an employer could d...

The Privacy Act could be one of the most misunderstood statutes, quoted regularly by people from all walks of life, but frequently quite wrongly.  Some, it seems, are reluctant to do anything for fear of Privacy Act consequences, while others have startlingly little ap...

In recent times, when employers have been able to use trial periods to swiftly address problems with new employees, old-fashioned probationary periods have fallen out of vogue.  However, as from today employers of 20 or more people can not use trial periods, so the tim...

One of the major challenges of our legal system is that there is almost always a cost associated with achieving recognition of your legal rights.  Usually, much of that cost can not be recovered once your claim has been resolved. 

You may have followed the recent s...

This post looks at how a simple change to accommodate the new Meal and Rest Break provisions could make your life easier this year.

I came back to the office on Monday, and organised my space to reflect my good intentions for 2019 (how long will they last?!) What are your workplace resolutions for this year?

Last week I explained the difference between penalty provisions and liquidated damages clauses.  A liquidated damages clause can usually be enforced by an employer against an employee who does not abide their contractual agreement to give a certain amount of notice....

This article addresses the law around contractual provisions in which employees agree to pay their employer if they don't give enough notice of termination.

Something you may not know about me – as the mother of two young boys, part of the reason I chose to leave law-firm life and practice as a barrister was that I hoped in doing so I would have greater flexibility in my work, and I might even find the holy grail – work/li...