Workplace wars
Boozing, bullying, stealing and intimidation among issues in Bay of Plenty
Belittling criticism, consuming alcohol at work, stealing, intimidating behaviour, bullying and relationship problems.
These are just some of the Bay of Plenty workplace issues heard by the Employment Relations Authority and the reasons behind mediations carried out by the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment.
MBIE data shows it provided 533 mediations, in Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakata¯ne in 2019 and 2020.
Over the same timeframes, the Employment Relations Authority held 21 hearings in the Bay of Plenty and more than half of those cases related to personal grievances.
The ERA said in a statement it did not keep statistics on what the grievances were about.
However, hearing documents supplied to Bay of Plenty Times show a raft of allegations including constant belittling criticism, “being treated like s***”, smoking on the job, dishonesty, consuming alcohol at work, stealing, unjustified dismissal, intimidating behaviour and loss of wages.
The biggest awards were usually compensation, arrears or lost wages.
The three largest pay-outs awarded by the authority in the Bay of Plenty under these categories against employers
Business owners absolutely need to know the general dos and don’ts of employing staff as employing staff is a big part of your business.
were Phil’s Place, which was owned at the time by AC/DC drummer Philip Rudd.
Three employees were paid a total of $45,000 in 2014 in compensation.
Adventure Playground Rotorua Ltd was ordered to pay $26,647.71 in wage arrears to Shaun Issac on June 25, 2019 and Harrisons Fine Art Ltd was ordered to pay $31,833.50 in lost wages to Gaye Carrothers
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce CEO Matt Cowley
on April 10, 2013.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said employment laws have become very complex and intimidating for some employers.
“Business owners absolutely need to know the general dos and don’ts of employing staff as employing staff is a big part of your business.”
There were bad employers and bad employees, he said.
Cowley believed it was critical the recruitment process was robust to avoid expensive hassles later.
If an employer did face a difficult situation with a staff member it was often better to seek professional help, “for the sake of a few thousand dollars to avoid an expensive personal grievance”.
“For instance, there are plenty of options to purchase the latest best practice staff policies, technology to streamline staff performance meetings, and calling in HR advisers for serious matters before employers do or say something that will cost them more than the professional advice.”
Your HR Partners director Megan Davies said the field of human resources has evolved dramatically over recent years.
“HR professionals play an important role in enabling and building talent, creating and