Four Areas That An Auckland Employee Lawyer Can Help

There are many different ways that an Auckland employee lawyer can help members of staff of organisations. Often employees feel intimidated by their employer but these days, there are laws to give them protection against bad bosses.  Below are a few ways employees can seek redress.

 

There are four main categories of personal grievance that employees often face where Auckland employee lawyer can give advice and assistance in progressing their case.

 

Regulations

The first relates to regulated documents that employers are required to provide to all employees.  This includes contracts, now known as Employment Agreements and Job Descriptions. All employers must provide these two documents to staff.  Failure to do so can result in fines of $1,000 per employee.

 

Harassment

Harassment can take many forms.  It is not always committed by the employer but can also be, and often is, caused by fellow employees. Some forms of harassment include discrimination for any reason including gender, sexual, age, and race.  Any form of discrimination can and should be challenged by staff members.

 

Bullying is another example of harassment.

 

This is often carried out by employers who want to coerce a staff member into carrying out specific tasks. But often other employees are bullies too.  This can take the form of undermining the staff member, alienating them, or simply threatening them with force or violence.

 

Bullying is often subtle and accumulates over time until it becomes unbearable for the victim. No-one should have to endure bullying so if your employer is guilty of this you can seek legal help.

 

Further, if another member of staff is bullying an employee, and it has been brought to the employer’s attention, then the company needs to take action. If they do not, then again, the employee ought to talk to an Auckland lawyer for employees.

 

Restructuring

Often a company will want to reduce its number of staff or re-organise its operations. This used to be called redundancy but is now more commonly called restructuring.

 

It is a complex area of employment law, and an employer cannot simply tell some staff that they are no longer employed.  If your boss tries to tell you that your job has been replaced or removed, you can talk to a lawyer to make sure the company followed the correct procedure.

 

Dismissal

Many times, employers complain that it is difficult to sack an employee. There are good reasons for this.

 

In the past, companies could dismiss a member of staff if they simply did not like the person.  There were other grounds too.  However, many bosses would try to dismiss people for spurious reasons such as to avoid paying bonuses.

 

These have been deemed unlawful so that now if an employee is not performing properly, there is a strict process to follow before that person can be sacked.

 

If an employee feels that they have been unjustifiably dismissed, they can bring a personal grievance against the employer.

 

Employment law is very complex and needs careful attention before making any announcements, decisions, or taking action.  If your boss has not followed the right processes, or you have been the subject of harassment, you can talk to an Auckland employee lawyer for advice and assistance. A good lawyer for this is McVeagh Fleming in the Auckland CBD.