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Engaging new employees | Hasmate health and safety program
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Engaging new employees

13 Aug Engaging new employees

Posted at 09:46h in Articles by

For many small businesses, now is an uncertain time.  However, with the government’s strategies for job creation, for many businesses, this is a positive time and will give them opportunity to help people gain employment, and develop new skills.

Earlier this week (August 2020), we attended a Govt work/job creation and information meeting hosted by the Hastings District Council, various government departments, and employment brokers. As we talked to people, I asked all the employment providers, and others, the following question:

Do the businesses they work with (to help them employ new staff) have the following:

  • A documented employment process?
  • A documented and structured induction process?
  • A buddy or supervised training system?
  • Training procedures in the form of safe work practices or safe operating procedures?
  • A staged progress review process to measure the new employee’s progress in the position?

In all cases, the answer was NO.

From the new employee’s perspective, this is concerning.  The statistics show that injuries to new employees usually occur 2-3 weeks after starting their first day at work. Add to this, WorkSafe NZ have identified that young Maoris and Pacific Islanders are more likely to be injured in that 2-3-week time frame.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) requires that businesses have training systems, as well as documented safe work practices, in place. Health and safety is now a critical component of all New Zealand businesses, and is as important as the required employment responsibilities for the Employment Relations Act (ERA).

I will put my neck out here and say, that in my 28 years’ experience working with a wide range of businesses, 95% do not have these systems or processes in place.

If you are one of these businesses, now is a chance to start creating these processes for your business.  Having these processes will provide any new employees with trust in your business, and will help you prove compliance for your business.

Please contact us if you need help creating these processes for your business.  Our 230+ safe operating procedures cover a variety of industries – view them here.