We are delighted to share some incredible news that marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of our organisation.
From April 1, 2024, Intepeople and Intesafety will merge with Brannigans, a well-regarded Christchurch/Queenstown based HR consultancy via a merger that promises to redefine the landscape of HR consultancy. This decision reflects our unwavering commitment to providing you, our valued clients, candidates, and partners, with even more exceptional services and solutions.
To ensure that you continue to receive a seamless service, we will continue to work with you under the Intepeople brand, so your current relationships and points of contact will remain.
This merger is a true blending of the organisations with all employees remaining and coming together to work as one team.
Together we form a human resources and recruitment powerhouse, providing unparalleled expertise and experience across Aotearoa. We call this The People Collective. You can learn more about the combined services and national reach of The People Collective here: www.thepeoplecollective.co.nz
A seamless experience: While we will have a larger team and more specialist skillsets to call on, our collective teams will be working as part of the Intepeople brand to ensure a seamless experience for you.
Expanded expertise & services: By consolidating our wealth of HR consultancy knowledge and expertise, we're expanding your options, providing a broader spectrum of skills to fulfil all your HR & recruitment requirements. This includes increased capability and capacity in executive search and leasing, workplace investigations, industrial relations, and a dedicated health and safety division courtesy of Intesafety.
Innovative solutions: We will continue to be at the forefront of HR innovation, offering you cutting-edge tools and strategies to address your unique challenges in a dynamic business environment.
Geographical coverage: While we work anywhere, our expanded team now provides specialist team members across the whole South Island, Wellington, and Auckland regions.
Shared values: Our merger is based on shared values, including a commitment to exceptional service, trust, and the belief that people are at the heart of every successful organisation.
Access to a larger database of high calibre candidates: As we merge our databases, this will give you access to more quality candidates looking for permanent or contracting opportunities.
A seamless experience: While we will have a larger team and more roles for you to choose from, our collective teams may be in touch with you as part of either the Intepeople or Brannigans brand. However, to ensure a seamless experience for you, all your points of contact, our website, and social media channels will remain as current.
More job opportunities: A wider range of clients for us means more great job opportunities for you.
Geographical coverage: While we have roles that work across the country, our expanded team now provides specialist team members across the whole South Island, Wellington, and Auckland regions and this will result in more opportunities for you.
Shared values: Our merger is based on shared values, including a commitment to exceptional service, trust, and the belief that people are at the heart of every successful organisation.
We are excited to embark on this new chapter together. Should you have any immediate questions or thoughts, please feel free to reach out to us.
Intepeople is thrilled to share news of our expansion! We are delighted to unveil the establishment of our new office in Wellington.
Fueled by our sustained growth and a robust clientele in both the private and public sectors of Wellington, we remain dedicated to providing a comprehensive range of HR services. Our offerings encompass People Strategy, Change Management, Investigations and Conflict Resolution, Executive Search and Recruitment, Remuneration and Rewards advice, and Leadership Development.
As we embark on this exciting journey, we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to collaborate with you throughout 2024.
Contact the Wellington team today.
Intepeople HR Partners Melisa Kappely and Marianne Wilkinson completed an intensive training programme in the USA with the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) late last year.
With this achievement they join a small number of New Zealand HR Professionals and Lawyers as AWI Certificate Holders.
At the Austin Training Institute in Texas, Marianne and Melisa each passed three individual assessments, demonstrating their specialised knowledge and skills to successfully perform impartial workplace investigations. The four-day training covered 12 modules, with education sessions ranging from strategies to avoid bias, establishing rapport with witnesses, effective interview techniques and mock investigation sessions where their skills were evaluated by recognised experts in the field.
With reported cases of workplace issues including bullying and sexual harassment rising, there is increasing demand for trained workplace investigators. Choosing an external agency to complete a workplace investigation ensures an impartial, unbiased and fair investigative process.
Marianne and Melisa’s advanced achievements establish them amongst the leading workplace investigators in New Zealand. We are very proud of their achievement!
Contact us for more information about Intepeople’s approach to workplace investigations.
Not so long ago I had to hold a team meeting with a client who had a team of middle aged women. The issue to be discussed was around compatibility and the refusal of the ladies to get on with each other.
As I sat there I wondered how many of these ladies may be menopausal and whether this could be affecting their reactions in the workplace.
So I decided to spend some time researching this – it soon became apparent that there has not been much research done this area.
What did appear was some concerns that some of the symptoms of menopause may affect a person’s work depending on the severity of them. Some of these symptoms include:
Some ladies had their own fans to keep cool, others were on the verge of resigning because they were over tired and anxious. Others pleaded illness on really bad days. I bet hot flushes are no fun if you are presenting or are in a meeting.
Most were uncomfortable raising any menopause related issues as it is seen as a taboo subject. It may be hard to raise these issues if you have a young male boss…
Interesting though – it seems that some women experienced no menopausal symptoms and feel as confident as ever in their work life.
So what can you do as a Manager or HR Professional?
Here is a link to an article that the Sydney Morning Herald ran which outlines what you can do about this issue in your workplace. One of the last taboo subjects.
This subject has become very dear to my heart as I wage my own war against hormones and how they affect me at work.
Do you have a story you can share about how menopause has affected you or your colleagues while working?
Sky rocketing Auckland house prices are frightening both Reserve Bank and the Government.
A debate around the introduction of capital gains tax is high on the minds of officials again given that the blame for the 13% annual increase is clearly laid at the feet of the speculators supposedly making huge tax free profits.
Reserve Bank’s Deputy Governor, Grant Spencer warns of a housing bubble collapse and they are concerned about the dangers to the NZ economy from such skyrocketing house prices. Never before have we seen the Reserve Bank make such a clear statement to the Government. They feel the Governments push to increase supply is not the panacea they want it to be.
Perhaps the worldwide growing phenomenon of telecommuting could be the answer. Already a number of executives, skilled contractors and workers in New Zealand live in cities (and indeed countries) other than the city that the company office is based.
The advancements in technology have definitely not replaced the ease and benefits of working in the same office as your colleagues for communication and expediency. Technology advancements have however proven to be an enabler for employers to offer flexibility and desired benefits such as telecommuting to employees and contractors.
I know of companies that have contractors working in other cities because they love to ski and the company is not based near a ski area. As long as the work is completed the employee /contractor has complete flexibility in the hours they work and have the benefit of being free to ski when they want to.
Other examples allow people to work from home and communicate using technology while not having a daily commute and time stuck in traffic. Another major benefit is that it can allow some to live and work from home in smaller provincial areas where homes are significantly cheaper. Added benefits can include improved access and lower cost to childcare, schooling and sporting opportunities where local facilities are so much closer.
While this is not an option for all due to the type of work they do, I think it will be a growing consideration for many living in Auckland who could move to another region where housing is more affordable, communication technology is rapidly improving, and the savings in everyday commuting and housing can be realised or used towards flights to the big smoke when required.
It will be most interesting to see if the phenomenon continues to grow!
By Pru Bell
The elections are looming and before the days of ‘Dirty Politics’, Cameron Slater and whether Judith Collin should stay or go were hot topics, there was some debate about some real election issues between the political parties in regards to paid parental leave entitlements.
This year National introduced extra $ in their 2014 budget to increase paid parental leave from 14 to 16 weeks in 2015 with a further increase to 18 weeks in 2016. As part of their ‘Best Start’ package, Labour are proposing paid parental leave being increased to 26 weeks with the Greens wanting an increase to 13 months paid parental leave.
There have been many debates about how long paid parental leave should be and different countries overseas have varying lengths and payments made for parental leave. New Zealand currently has the second lowest duration of paid parental leave amongst OECD countries so we are currently lagging behind the majority of the world. There are however still some countries including the US, Swaziland, Lesotho and Papua New Guinea who don’t yet provide paid parental leave of any type!
With the current 14 weeks paid parental leave we are on a similar level with China, India, Egypt and Algeria. Australia is more generous than NZ and provides 18 weeks paid parental leave with a higher weekly rate and an additional two weeks paid leave for the father/partner. On the high end of the scale, Denmark offers 52 weeks at full pay and Canada also has 52 weeks paid leave (not at full pay) shared by the parents.
With 26,000 parents (99% of these are women) on paid parental leave each year it is a substantial investment by taxpayers and when researching for this blog I found many discussion papers available regarding how to fund an increase to paid parental leave which was very interesting but is a discussion best left to the economists and politicians.
There are many proven benefits for extending paid parental leave as it has a direct financial benefit to households and a range of positive societal benefits including work-life balance, supporting child development and breast-feeding.
Longer paid parental leave also has some very positive labour market outcomes whereby it can maintain a women’s attachment to the labour force by choosing to come back to work and continue their career rather than leaving the labour force altogether. As women may be able to spend more time away from work on paid parental leave it also encourages employers to invest in training replacement employees who gain labour market experience and increased skills during this time however it can prove to be a financial burden to businesses in times of poor business performance.
A number of countries now also provide support for fathers/partners to receive a period paid parental leave in addition to the above which is not provided for in NZ.
What do you think, how long do you think paid parental leave should be in NZ?
Do you think there should be additional paid parental leave for fathers/partners?
Rod Drury at the launch of the new #Gigatownnsn office threw out the challenge to provincial regions like Nelson Tasman to showcase their unique point of difference to the world. Remaining relevant, connected, vibrant, energetic and motivated to stay ‘ahead of the curve’ in terms of economic sustainability for future generations.
Boasting the best weather, consistently high sunshine hours, fantastic lakes, bays, mountains, walking tracks, rivers and national parks, beautiful wine and food, NZ’s 4th busiest airport, a wonderful vibrant and efficient natural port, the home to many successful local, national and international businesses, central location, well performing educational institutions at every level, arguably the greatest workforce talent per capita than any other centre in NZ, home to the mighty Makos, Giants … is it little wonder that most people would die to live and work here?
Over the last few decades we have seen an unfortunate drift of business to Auckland. Illogical and self serving decisions, often made by the Boards of offshore companies to relocate Head Offices to Auckland compounded with a lack of strategic insight from a disjointed council and huge population growth has progressively placed increased pressure on infrastructure and housing. It is near breaking point and the rest of the country is bearing the cost of this in more ways than one. If you are in business why on earth would you want to locate your business in the hardest place to work in NZ, the highest cost of labour, the most difficult place to source talent and the area that has the highest rental and building/construction overheads? And if you are in the age bracket of between 25- 35 and thinking about having kids, buying your first home and facing a mortgage of 800-900k plus just to get a half decent house wouldn't you be reassessing your options about where you want to work and live?
In an increasingly digitally connected world, where businesses are physically located is becoming less relevant. Accessibility to markets and interactions with customers is facilitated in a far different way now than previously. Innovation, talent leveraging and building enduring relationships with customers is far more important in most cases. The capability, composition and culture of your staff are crucial to building a compelling value proposition to your customers.
Having a work environment which allows employees to be the best they can be, reach the edge of their potential, encourages new, strategic and revolutionary thinking, allows an easy transition and integration between work and home …..so, given this, and the attributes our region offers why would you not considering moving your business to Nelson? Time for courageous forward thinking companies to swim against the tide of the ‘Me Too’ brigade!!
Check out a successful Nelson based entrepreneur who has just done this HERE.
In his words here are all the reasons why you would do so.
And if we can add:
So Why not Nelson? It’s our time!!
Let’s create some options for our talented kids to have an opportunity to live in a place they love by creating meaningful and challenging careers and work opportunities.
If the incentives are right to induce great businesses to move here and the community is united behind it I have no doubt it would be an absolute game changer to our region if were successful in doing this.
by Paul Bell
What do these two things have in common?
Both high heels and pillow fights are the cause of some of the injuries that occur in the 1.7 million ACC new claims each year. These injuries can occur anywhere at anytime with over 10% or 178,141 of the total new ACC claims each year being work related injuries.
ACC have completed an ‘Injury Face-Off’ quiz below to find out:
Which do you think were involved in more injuries in 2013….
1. High Heels or Gumboots?
2. Pillow Fights or arm wrestling?
3. Air guitar or dancing the tango?
4. Elevators or escalators?
5. Cats or dogs?
6. Christmas Day or New Year’s Day?
7. Boating or golf?
8. Men or women?
9. Fishing or hunting
10. Staplers or scissors?
Scroll down for the answers; some of these may surprise you!
These claims relate to all ACC injuries but a large number of these (maybe not dancing the tango) have the potential to occur in your workplace.
ACC have some simple tips to help us Kiwis prevent injuries occurring in your workplace, your home and on the road:
At home and work:
• Wipe up spills as soon as they happen
• Run power cords along walls, not across walkways
• Fasten loose rugs and mats to the floor
On the road:
• Don’t exceed posted speed limits
• Don’t drink and drive
• Drive to conditions
And in case you are wondering, here are the answers to the quiz:
1. High heels, 780 claims (Gumboots, 741 claims)
2. Pillow fights, 45 claims (Arm wrestling, seven claims)
3. Dancing the tango, 15 claims (Air guitar, zero claims)
4. Escalators, 447 claims (Elevators, 85 claims)
5. Dogs, 18,461 claims (Cats, 6451 claims).
6. New Year’s Day, 5,251 claims (Christmas Day 3,119 claims).
7. Golf, 6,482 claims (Boating, 3,309 claims)
8. Men, 959,509 claims (Women, 824,562 claims)
9. Fishing, 2,976 claims (Hunting, 1,306 claims)
10. Scissors, 1,098 claims (Staplers, 528 claims)
All claims are costing ACC $7 million daily. Then there is all the additional costs to your organisation or yourself if you are injured and unable to work.
....So next time you pick up a stapler or put on your favourite pair of gumboots or high heels be careful out there! - Help save New Zealanders’ money – taxpayers, employers, employees alike with a little planned consideration, prevention and care at both home and the workplace!!
I noticed this article last week on Stuff. Some of you may have seen it as a discussion on HRINZ and LinkedIn. As HR and Recruitment professionals it gives us plenty of food for thought and is a good reminder of the importance of ensuring our processes are focussed on Candidate Care.
It must be extremely disheartening to have 114 job rejections – I can understand this person being frustrated by the whole process.
Being constantly rejected, let down and ignored is not an easy path to walk along.
As Recruiters working with candidates on a daily basis we’ve worked hard to create the best possible candidate experience and are constantly looking for new ways to continue to improve our Candidate Care.
If you’re managing your recruitment internally there are some simple, yet important things you can do to ensure that you protect your employment brand and reputation:
Other benefits of using a well thought out selection process are that it helps you:
Yes it can mean more work but it’s important to remember that Candidate Care when recruiting is about maintaining a good reputation for your company in the employment market and brand to enable you to attract top candidates not just for this job but for future vacancies as they arise. This makes it even more important to treat candidates with a high level of respect and attention to the small details such as responding and communicating where each candidate is in the process.
As professional recruiters we have a high level of focus to Candidate Care and ensure that we have appropriate systems in place to manage candidate communication along the way even if the news is not positive. At least a candidate that has made the effort to apply for a position finds out that they were unsuccessful and can move on to other opportunities. At Intepeople we aim to have an edge by doing it right.
We strongly recommend that even if you only recruit for a few roles a year you also make this fast growing area of Candidate Care a priority and increase your focus on the overall Candidate Experience.
Coming soon I would like to blog about the impact on the HR side of this article and in particular hiring an ageing workforce. Understanding how that can fit into your “People Strategies”. See you then.
Emma, one of our Senior Consultants is currently over there on sabbatical. As our foreign correspondent on the other side of the Tasman – she has the following observations…
There is a lot of talk about the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) and how it has impacted businesses and how many people are still being made redundant. Just this year I have seen big companies, BP and Optus to name a few, shake off up to a quarter of their staff. Needless to say 'change management' jobs – are a plenty…
Interestingly in contrast to the above - talent management and succession planning are two key areas of HR being used by larger companies in Australia and something of a recent focus at a breakfast seminar at Intepeople in NZ. Firms are keen to retain their good staff and want to manage careers in a way that best serves the company.
Salaries are higher but you pay more tax and the simple things here cost you more – public transport, parking, car ownership etc. Sydney truly is the most expensive city in the world.
When I look at recruitment over here in Australia I am reminded of Greg Savage’s words – “Recruitment will become a specialist sourcing area relying on fantastic networks and greater understanding of business requirements”.
Aussies are further down this track than we are. HR Ads in SEEK are constantly looking for search specialists.
Recruitment companies are renaming themselves as search experts, they review key talent in linkedin and other relevant industry websites using hi-tech word search software. Recruiters own specialist websites are everything when it comes to posting jobs. In-house competency based recruiters are also in high demand.
Specialist search firms or staff are becoming more prevalent in NZ too - just watch this space!
