March 2022 - Positive People

PositivePeople March 24, 2022 No Comments

ACCREDITED EMPLOYER WORKING VISA (AEWV) – TIME TO PREPARE NOW

ENSURE YOU’RE IN A POSITION TO HIRE MIGRANTS WHEN YOU CAN

ACCREDITED EMPLOYER WORKING VISA (AEWV)

TIME TO PREPARE NOW

Many employers have had difficulty recruiting staff during the pandemic and are delighted at the prospect of the borders opening and staffing issues being resolved. Most businesses are seeking to be in a position to be able to hire migrants as soon as they can. At the same time processes at Immigration NZ have been changing. Immigration NZ are introducing a new visa known as the Accredited Employer Working Visa (AEWV), and all employers will need to be accredited to either renew somebody’s visa or hire somebody on a work visa. It essentially replaces the Essential Skills visa and Talent Accredited employer visa.

What do you need to do to be ready?

23 May 2022 is the first date an employer can apply to become accredited and by 4 July 2022, you will need to have received your accreditation to have anyone in your employment on a work visa.

So, time is tight!

To be ready to apply by 23 May 2022, it is a good idea to determine what type of accreditation you will require and what information you will need to supply.

Types of Accreditations.

Standard volume – you will employ 5 or less on the new AEWV work visa per year
High volume – you will employ 6 or more on the new AEWV work visa per year per year

Note: This does not include employees on other visas eg: Student visas

There are two other categories; franchises or employers wanting to place migrants with controlling third parties. If you fall into either of these brackets, it will pay to search the requirements directly on the Immigration NZ website.

Employers who currently are accredited under the talent visa program will need to re-apply using the new process.

Accreditation Requirements

To gain either level of accreditation you must show that you:

Are a genuine business by providing financial information and company details
Have no recent history or regulatory non-compliance, complete a declaration to this effect and have background checks undertaken
Minimise the risk of exploitation by having your recruiting Managers complete an online employment rights module, providing evidence of a sound and fair recruitment process and providing work related settlement information to migrants.
Are paying at least the median wage for the job (which is $27.76 as of 4 July 2022)

The cost for application is currently: standard $740 or high volume $1220. You can upgrade to high volume at any point for $480. If you receive accreditation a job quota will apply which will register all your migrant workers and keep track of the number in your employment.

Job Check

Every time you want to hire a migrant, you will need to apply for a job check, and there will be a cost involved with this. The job check opens from 20 June 2022. You may use a job check for multiple positions if all the job details and conditions of employment are the same.

A job check will confirm:

The job pays at least the median wage
The terms and conditions of employment meet all the legislative requirements
The job has been advertised to New Zealander’s, including advertising the rate of pay and skills and experience required
The job is for at least 30 hours per week

For more information on the requirements for each level the Immigration NZ website provides further detail.

It’s been a long time coming, and we know many businesses are struggling to recruit staff.

Being prepared and receiving your accreditation early will put you in a good position to make the most of borders opening and improve your chances of attracting amazing new employees.

Positive People can guide you through the employment related requirements and offer support to ensure you are ready for when the borders open.

09-445 1077

info@positivepeople.co.nz

PositivePeople March 17, 2022 No Comments

Management Fatigue

Hands up… who is tired or a bit deflated right now?

Many of our clients are telling us that the ongoing uncertainty we are all living in, the changing work environment and heavy workload over the past two years is taking its toll. Leading people and driving business survival/success at this time can be exhausting. Humans are wired to cope with peaks of pressure very well, but don’t fare so well over extended periods of time.

So, what can you do?

Firstly, you need to look after yourself.

As a leader, you probably feel like you have no choice and must get on with it. That’s what good leaders do, right? But the reality is that you will not be able to support your team if you are fatigued and not in the right headspace.

Taking care of yourself may feel like the last thing you have time to do. But it is important to ensure that your business is tracking in the right direction and your team has the leader they need. You might set parameters around when/how often you check your emails, shorten meeting times by setting a clear agenda, delegate some responsibilities or empower your team to make some decisions. Focus on what you can control.

Once you are rejuvenated, share your story with the team – set the tone, lead the way. If the team see you making effective changes, they will feel that they too can take ownership of their own situation rather than feeling helpless.

Then, it’s time to take further action.

Sit down with your team to talk about where they are at, their pain/pressure points and figure out some sensible solutions together.
Assess if your methods of reward and recognition are effective. Do your team feel that their contribution is valued? Do you celebrate successes? Do you genuinely thank people regularly? Ask for feedback on what could be better. Trial some new approaches.
Regularly check in on progress – quick pulse surveys can be good to see if any changes you have made are hitting the mark.
Longer term, you might want to think about building resilience within your business by developing leadership capability around how to manage and deal with pressure, arming your people with helpful tools and techniques.

If you have had enough of the fatigue and you are ready to do something about it, talk with your Positive People consultant for ideas and recommendations. We are here to help.

PositivePeople March 1, 2022 No Comments

MAKE YOUR HR PLAN MATTER IN 2022

HR SUCCESS IN 2022

PERMANENT FLEXIBILITY & AN EMPLOYEE FOCUS

It’s been a tough two years, with plenty of change and many challenges thrown our way. And 2022 is shaping up to be the same. Many businesses and teams have done an amazing job during the Covid period – you have shown resilience, adapted quickly and demonstrated creativity and compassion in your Covid responses.

But what happens now?

NZ is right in the midst of the Covid wave, and at some stage this year we hope to emerge on the other side.

Looking ahead to what to expect in the HR space this year will be critical to continuing your strong business performance, attracting and retaining talent – and keeping your team safe and sane.

As you finalise your planning for 2022, here are some of the top considerations for your HR Plan:

The tight recruitment market – You will have all seen the labour market statistics, and with near full employment in New Zealand and the tight restrictions on immigration it is a candidate’s market right now. The number of applicants you receive will be well down on usual numbers, and quality candidates will be in the mix for several roles. It is critical you review your employment branding and recruitment processes to ensure you present a positive Company image, deliver a great candidate experience, and move quickly. Your offer needs to come first and be the most enticing if you are to win the war for talent. Is your employment brand attractive to candidates?

Retention of talent – With such a tight market, direct approaches to candidates are becoming more frequent. Even the most loyal team member can be tempted to take a look at a role promising a decent salary increase and other enticing benefits. Staying close to your talent will help you combat this. Make sure you know how they are feeling, what their career goals are and keep their development going – even during these trying times. Your investment in them and support will be remembered and repaid by continued service.

Wage Pressure – The tight labour market has driven up market rates. Add this to the minimum wage increase and the current inflation rates, and staff expectations are high. Recent articles in the media and statements from Unions around the cost of living has added to this. Getting ahead of the curve and reassessing your remuneration strategy is a proactive step to take so you can keep up with the market and retain your team members.

Wellness – While this has been critical throughout the pandemic, with Covid fatigue well entrenched, now is the time to think creatively about how to ensure your staff are taking real action to stay well. Most people have seen plenty of social media posts and posters around keeping well – but are they listening and is it working? Is it time to adapt to this entrenched environment and try something new on the Wellness front?

Flexible work – While this has been a top consideration for candidates for some time, it will become a critical factor for your current team once we steer through the Omicron wave. Employees are used to working from home, and for the most part have learned to do this effectively. They have also adapted their life accordingly. Once the wave passes and we start to go back to “normal” it will be a good time to review what that “normal” will look like. Staff that once happily commuted to work may not like the transition back, and new patterns will have emerged that your team may not want to give up, like picking up the kids from school and taking lunch time walks. It is time to take the learning from this period and design a flexible work system which accommodates this and becomes your new “normal”.

Being proactive in your HR planning and recognising which factors are important right now will help you implement the right HR strategies for current times. It is not a normal time – and a normal approach won’t be effective.

Positive People has 27 years’ experience helping businesses design HR plans which deliver great employment results and are fit for your individual circumstances.

Month: March 2022