Good Employer Advice

A new, free tool to help employers profile their workforce is now available on-line from the Human Rights Commission.

“This is a fantastic, on-line initiative that will enable employers to see who they employ and look at things like the age of their workforce, the number of women, and the diversity of their employees and managers,” says EEO Commissioner Dr Judy McGregor.

“It also allows organisations to report on and assess their EEO initiatives and should make it easier to tell staff what is happening in their organisation.”

“The tool has a unique Star Graph function which shows organisation how well they are doing in being good employers, based on their own self assessments.”

The Human Rights Commission said the on-line reporting tool should make it easier for state sector organisations to create foundation documents for Annual Reports, Statements of Intent, Action Plans and employee feedback.

The on-line reporting tool, developed specifically to allow Crown entities report more easily on good employer obligations, is available to any public or private sector organisation. The reports and information generated are confidential to each specific organisation (password protected).

The on-line tool was developed with the help of Dave Stewart of Human Value who is an EEO Trust Board member and has received excellent feedback from organisations who have trialled the good employer on-line reporting tool.

Sue Stokes, Support services Manager of ERMA New Zealand says, “the tool will be of great assistance to us with out accountability documents and as a guide to our overall efforts to be a good employer.”

To access the on-line reporting tool go to http://www.neon.org.nz/crownentitiesadvice/reportingtool/    First time users need to click on the Not registered, click here to register and add you own user name and password. You will also be asked to provide details of your organisation. Some of this information, including the organisation name, will be used when reports are generated.

---

In December 2007, the Human Rights Commission analysed the Annual Reports of Crown entities as part of its continuing guidance to the sector about good employer and equal employment opportunity issues. Download the report Benchmarking Annual Reports:  Crown entities and the good employer

Under the provisions of the Crown Entities Act 2004 a Crown entity must meet 'good employer' obligations. This includes ensuring all employees have equal employment opportunities.  This advice was developed originally for Crown entities and this is why ‘Crown entities’ are specifically addressed throughout the text. However, the guidance is equally relevant to all employers – the wider state sector, the non-government sector and the private sector.

 

 

The EEO Commissioner has responsibility for issuing good employer/EEO guidance to Crown entities and portfolio departments.  For more information on the respective responsibilities of the EEO Commissioner, the State Services Commission and the Pay and Equity Employment Unit in regard to providing advice on EEO policy and practice click here.

 

Access the best advice from the EEO Commissioner on 'good employer' obligations here:

 

• Legislation  This section lists all the New Zealand legislation that mentions the 'good employer'; it specifically refers to the Employment Relations Act and the relevant clauses of the Crown Entities Act 2004 and the Cabinet Minute giving the EEO Commissioner the responsibility to provide guidance.
• Why be a good employer? This section provides facts and figures about why being a good employer is good for business. 
• What is a good employer? This section provides models on what an exceptional employer looks like and how diversity is layered; as well as case law and case studies.  
• How to be a Good Employer  This section lists:
  • the key Employment Elements a good employer should consider;
  • guidance on staff engagement and consultation throughout the process;
  • the steps to ensure a comprehensive EEO programme;
  • an annual timeframe;
• Statement of Intent and Reporting  This section deals with 'good employer' intentions in the SOI and reporting on plans and progress in the 'good employer' report and the Annual Report.
• Resource List This section provides names and websites for relevant publications and tools

 

Document	Summary	PDF	Word
The good employer - getting it right: guidance from the EEO Commissioner. June 2006	Download the above Crown Entities Guidance on the Good Employer and EEO as a PDF or Word booklet	Download	Download