Employees have 90 days to file a personal grievance from the date of the event. A recent Employment Relations Authority decision allowed an employee to lodge a personal grievance out of time because there was no explanation in the employment agreement of the time limit, as required by law.  This omission amounted to an exceptional circumstance justifying an extension of time.

You can avoid this problem by ensuring you have written employment agreements for all staff (a legal requirement), and you include the 90 day time limit as part of the explanation of how personal grievances will be dealt with.  A failure to do so could see you facing a claim that would otherwise be out of time.

We provide a review service for employment agreements.  For a set fee ($565 + GST) we will review your agreement and advise you on all changes needed to comply with current legal requirements plus suggestions for other improvements.

If you do not have a written agreement (a legal requirement) we can provide a simple to understand agreement for you to consider.  This can be amended to meet your particular situation and requirements.