NEWS ROUNDUP
The Role of HR - HRNZ Member Survey
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RNZ’s recent Member survey aimed to understand why Members entered the HR profession, what they spend most of their time on and what tasks and policies they would like to see removed. As expected, most respondents got into HR due to their love of working with people and making a difference to those in organisations. As a profession, it is clear we have a passion for uplifting capability, wellness and overall employee experiences. The tasks performed by HR professionals were not surprising,
although they did highlight the broad range of demands and expectations on the profession and the pressure faced by many to cover so many bases. Performance management, leave policies and, more generally, the Holidays Act 2003 led the way in terms of what policies or processes could be deleted (or recycled). The dream state of some HR practitioners is a utopic world where policies are a thing of the past and processes hum along neatly with little or no intervention from us; but, for many, we’re not quite there yet.
While many respondents said their policies could do with some tidying up or reviewing, most of our surveyed professionals wouldn’t actually throw any out. Instead, there seems to be a good level of appetite to make them succinct, more logical and cohesive. For more detail on the results of the survey, read full report. For more insights on policies, see our PD Spotlight column on page 46, by Debbie Dawson.
New 2021 resident visa
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n 30 September 2021, the government announced a new one-off residence visa pathway for some temporary work visa holders currently in New Zealand.
From 1 November, New Zealand employers will only be able to support migrant workers on one type of visa, the Essential Skills Work Visa (ESWV).
This opens eligibility for around 165,000 migrants currently in New Zealand. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi said, “This is something employers have asked for and we are delivering. Employers will now have the opportunity to retain their settled and migrant workers, reflecting the critical part they play in our economy, essential workforce and communities.”
The ESWV is a temporary work visa that individuals can apply for only after they have a job offer from a New Zealand employer and have the necessary experience and qualifications to fill that job.
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HUMAN RESOURCES
SUMMER 2021
Unlike the Work to Residence visas, where visa applicants had to be paid a minimum annual salary, under the ESWV, a worker can qualify for a work visa at any salary level.
It still remains of utmost importance that employees hold valid and appropriate temporary visas at all times, be it a Talent Visa (submitted while the category is open) or an ESWV. While holding a resident visa puts a migrant worker on equal footing with New Zealanders and their work rights, the employer must ensure the correct work visa is maintained until the worker’s residence is granted. For more information, see our article from Rachael Mason, Lane Neave Partner, on page 34.
