At Edmonds Judd, we know that employment issues can have a major impact on both your business and your personal life. Whether you are an employer trying to manage staff fairly and lawfully, or an employee seeking to understand your rights, getting the right legal advice early makes all the difference.
We assist with everything from drafting robust employment agreements and workplace policies, through to navigating restructures, handling workplace investigations, or resolving disputes in mediation, the Employment Relations Authority, or the Employment Court. Our focus is always on practical outcomes that protect your interests, preserve relationships where possible, and keep your business moving forward.
With a thorough understanding of employment law and decades of experience working with both employers and employees across Waikato and beyond, Edmonds Judd combines technical expertise with a down-to-earth approach. You can trust us to guide you through any employment matter with clarity, efficiency, and respect.
It is important to start your employment relationships with an employment agreement that complies with employment law and clearly defines the obligations of both the employer and the employee. As an employer, it is good practice to seek advice before entering into an agreement to ensure that the terms are enforceable, especially if you are including probation periods or trial periods in your agreement.
Well drafted employment agreements and clearly documented policies are important to help prevent disputes. Seeking advice early can help prevent employment disputes from arising in the first place. Even when you are “right”, you can still be wrong if you don’t follow the right processes and procedures. A misstep can be expensive. When disputes occur, we are here to help, with pragmatic, commercially sensible advice. We collaborate closely with you, ensuring you are well-informed and involved throughout the process.
All sorts of questions can arise during the course of an employment relationship. For example:
If you have questions about processes and procedures or your rights and obligations, we can help.
Are you looking to restructure or sell your business? If so, it is important to get legal advice early in the process to ensure you follow the correct procedures. This is a complicated area of law.
Workplace policies provide a clear framework that sets expectations for employees and employers around behaviour, performance, and procedures. These can also ensure legal and regulatory compliance and communicate company values and culture. Whether it is a policy for health and safety, anti-bullying and harassment, or for the use of technology or social media, or something special just for your particular business, we can help you draft policies that are fit for purpose.
Disputes can often arise out of an employment relationship. These can include personal grievances for unjustified dismissal (constructive dismissal), unjustified disadvantage, arguments over restraints of trade and breaches of confidential information or assertions of non-compliance with obligations around the payment of wages or annual leave.
We are experienced at negotiating practical and commercially sensible outcomes. We can help you with bringing or defending claims and support you through the entire dispute process from advocating for you at employment mediations, at investigation meetings conducted before the Employment Relations Authority, through to hearings in the Employment Court. We can also assist you with conducting investigations into allegations that have been raised.
With a thorough understanding of employment law and a commitment to effective, practical support, we help you confidently manage employment matters.
