Behind the scenes

Winter could be the right time to reflect on your business and its processes

With daylight savings upon us, winter is just around the corner. For some of you, it might mean shorter days or a general shift to more renovation-type work, which is sometimes a welcome change from the non-stop charge of building that takes place over summer.

It also often means more evenings in, which should allow you some time to catch up on the latest round of legislation changes, featured in Under Construction. In addition to the health and safety reform, which we’ve discussed (and will continue to discuss) at length, employers need to be aware of recent changes to core parts of New Zealand’s employment law.

The Employment Standards Legislation Bill, which came into force on 1 April, extends parental leave to more workers, strengthens enforcement of employment standards and prohibits unfair employment practices including zero-hour contracts.

Given the number of builders who employ casual workers, it could impact several of you, so make sure to take a close look at the article here.

If you do have some downtime over the coming months, business coach Graeme Owen also provides some insight into recruiting the right subcontractors here, and Crowe Horwath offers advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of your second year in business here.

This month also highlights an opportunity for those employers with a BCITO apprentice on board, in the form of an Employer Development Grant. Given the comments around subsidising employers who take on apprentices in last month’s Builder’s Business, this offer could be a timely opportunity for those of you supporting the next generation of builders. See more here.

We hope to see many of you at our latest round of PlaceMakers skills maintenance seminars, now running throughout the country. Hosting these seminars is part of our ongoing commitment to supporting our customers in earning skills maintenance points – hopefully making your lives easier. See here to find out when we’ll be in your area.

Gary Woodhouse
General Manager Operations & Marketing