1. For the past year, Jane has worked two hours on the first day of every month for Sally. Sally is happy for this to continue. Jane is:
Jane has regular hours and there’s no end planned for her employment, so she’s a part-time permanent employee.
2. Lucy is working at a design agency for four months with a fixed end date, working 20 hours a week. She’s paid through a recruitment agency — with tax deducted at 15% — uses her own laptop and keeps her own hours. Lucy is:
There‘s a fixed date for the end of her employment and she keeps her own hours, so she’s a contractor. From 1 April 2017, contractors hired through recruiters must have tax deducted from their pay, but they can choose the rate. Read more
3. Hugh works every Saturday and Sunday at a sunglasses shop. His hours are regular and his boss has no plans to let him go. Hugh is:
Permanent employees are employed on an ongoing basis, full-time or part-time. They have regular patterns of shifts or hours.
4. Greta occasionally works as a waitress for a catering company. She can say yes or no to the company’s offers of work. Greta is:
Casual employees don’t have to accept offers of work. There’s no fixed pattern to the work and no guarantee of hours.
5. Brad is working on a project at a small business from January 11 to June 30. The business takes care of his PAYE and other deductions. Brad is:
Brad has start and end dates to his employment, so he’s a fixed-term employee. If Brad is needed after June 30, his employer must give him a new employment agreement.
6. John applies for a job in a café. The owner asks him to come in for a day to try out for the position. He'll be paid for his time and get a free lunch. There is no guarantee of more work – the owner will decide afterwards whether or not to offer him the job. John is:
John is a casual employee. He hasn’t been offered a permanent job yet. But he has done — and been paid for — a day's work (on the basis it might be a one-off). If he's offered the job and accepts, he becomes a permanent employee.
7. Mel works full time at an accounting firm filling in for Marama, who is on maternity leave. Mel is employed for 12 months and her last day is July 1. Mel is:
Mel is covering the workload of an employee for a set period, so she’ll be on a fixed-term agreement.
8. Bob is an IT expert installing a new system at a small company. He works from home up to 16 hours a week, pays his own tax and has a deadline to finish the work by April 1. Bob is:
Bob is working to deliver the project in a specific time frame, he keeps his own hours and works from home, so he’s a contractor. From 1 April 2017, contractors hired directly by a business can choose to have tax deducted from their pay. Read more
9. Jan and Pete are semi-retired, picking cherries each summer at a local orchard. They choose which days and how many hours they work. Jan and Pete are:
Jan and Pete don’t have to accept their employer’s offer of work, so they’re casual employees. However, they’re entitled to paid leave or 8% added to their wages as an equivalent.
10. Mickey is an apprentice working eight hours a week at his uncle’s plumbing company. His uncle pays him and sorts out his tax and KiwiSaver. Mickey is:
Mickey is paid a wage, does regular hours and the company sorts out his tax and KiwiSaver obligations, so he is a permanent employee.
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