Wellington Hire Wire - Issue Two
Rehiring, retention, and why money isn't always the fix.
Hiring is never just about filling a role, it’s about getting the right person in the right place at the right time. And let’s be honest, that’s easier said than done.
Hello! It’s Ailsa and Beccy from Key Skills Recruitment. This is our second issue of Hire Wire, your industry insider for hiring smarter, staying ahead, and cutting through the BS.
This month, we look at the real cost of when a new hire doesn’t work out, the quiet return of former employees, and how to avoid throwing money at a problem that isn’t about money at all.
We also catch up with Sarah, our Payroll Manager, to talk about all the weird and wonderful things that happen behind the payslip.
Each month, we bring you what’s actually worth knowing, whether it’s hiring trends, compliance updates, or just the straight-up realities of keeping a good workforce. No filler, no fluff, just the stuff that matters.
Got a story or hiring headache to share? Let us know at wellingtonhirewire@substack.com we might feature it in the next issue.
Let’s get into it.
Ailsa & Beccy
Upcoming changes in employment law - what you need to know
If passed, a new bill could reshape New Zealand's employment landscape, particularly affecting triangular employment arrangements common in our sector.
What’s in the Bill?
The Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill aims to extend collective bargaining rights to employees in these arrangements. Specifically, it proposes that employees working under a controlling third party can be included in that party's collective agreements if:
Their work falls within the scope of the collective agreement.
They are union members associated with that agreement.
They aren’t already covered by another collective agreement through their direct employer.
Implications for Businesses
Companies acting as controlling third parties should prepare for these potential changes by:
Reviewing existing employment arrangements.
Assessing the coverage of current collective agreements.
Engaging with unions and employees to ensure compliance.
Engage with your labour hire agency to discuss the implications
Staying informed and proactive will be key as this bill progresses through the legislative process.
Lane Neave has provided an excellent analysis of this bill's implications, which you can read here. You can also view the Employment Relations (Collective Agreements in Triangular Relationships) Amendment Bill here.
Minimum wage is going up - Here’s what you need to know
From 1 April 2025, the minimum wage is going up:
$23.50 per hour (up from $23.15) for the adult minimum wage.
$18.80 per hour (up from $18.52) for starting-out and training wages.
In most cases, Key Skills handles wages and compliance, so you don’t need to worry about admin changes - but it’s still worth factoring this into your labour costs. If you’re budgeting ahead, now’s the time to plan for the increase.
More details over at Employment New Zealand.
Show me the money – Inside payroll’s dollars, deposits & deductions with Sarah
Meet the most important person at Key Skills - Sarah, our payroll manager. She is the one who makes sure everyone gets paid on time (which, let’s be honest, is what really matters). We asked Sarah to spill the tea on everything related to getting paid.
“One myth that won’t go away is that agency workers get paid less than permanent workers. That shouldn’t be the case. You should always be getting market rates through your agency.”
She also shared some of the surprisingly small things that cause big payroll headaches like people taking a day off with no explanation, or not recording lunch breaks properly.
“If we don’t know what kind of leave it was, we can’t pay it correctly. Same with breaks - if timesheets don’t account for them properly, we have to spend time checking everything. It adds up quickly.”
And one thing that might surprise you?
“Most people don’t realise that each timesheet is completely individual and has to be approved by clients before we can process it. It takes about two and a half days to enter all the payroll info so getting them in on time really matters.”
When it comes to leave, Sarah says even seasoned pros get tripped up:
“Accrued annual leave vs. entitled leave still catches people out. Accrued leave builds up in the first year, but employers don’t have to approve it. After 12 months, it converts to time-based leave - hours, days or weeks. It’s fiddly!”
Her top tip?
“Always check your payslip and make sure your KiwiSaver is being paid on top of your hourly rate. We’ve heard of places that include it in the rate, which isn’t right.”
And if something does go wrong?
“Just give us a call. We’re all human, and most things can be fixed quickly with a bit of communication.”
Oh, and if payroll had a mascot?
“Definitely a bee - because payroll is a hive of activity!”
The return of the retreaders - Should you rehire a former employee?
More businesses are rehiring former employees in a tight labour market. But is bringing someone back a smart move, or just a short-term fix?
Beccy Lane, co-founder of Key Skills, sees both the opportunity and the risk:
“When someone comes back, you need to understand why they left in the first place. It's not always about money. Sometimes it’s a lack of growth, a poor manager, or just not feeling heard. If you don’t ask the right questions, you risk repeating the same mistake.”
That sense of empathy and curiosity matters. If a great employee hands in their notice, a counteroffer might keep them for now but it won’t fix what pushed them away in the first place.
Beccy explains:
“You’re just paying more to delay their exit if you haven’t addressed the real issue.”
For example, if someone leaves for a different environment, maybe to work on larger-scale projects or to gain leadership experience wants to return, it’s a chance to bring back someone sharper, more experienced, and more motivated as long as you both go into it with clear eyes.
“Rehiring someone isn’t about going backwards,” says Beccy. “It can be a step forward if both sides have learned something along the way.”
So should you rehire a former employee? Maybe. But only if you take the time to ask:
Why did they leave in the first place?
What have they learned while they were away?
Are you offering them something new or just more of the same?
Sometimes the problem isn’t the pay rate. Sometimes it’s a manager with poor leadership skills, a culture that doesn’t support development, or simply not being listened to. And if that’s what drove them away, no counteroffer is going to fix it.
What tracks better - hiring for skill, or hiring for attitude?
While skills can be learned, a shaky work ethic is much harder to fix. Employees with a strong mindset contribute positively to teamwork and engagement, and those eager to learn tend to adapt faster than those who rely solely on past experience.
That doesn’t mean skills don’t matter. Some roles require technical expertise that can’t be taught on the job. A mix of skill and adaptability is often essential in industries like engineering and the trades. The best hiring strategy is usually a balance. Make sure a candidate has the right experience while also looking for the mindset and work ethic to set them up for long-term success.
If someone has thrived under a well-respected industry leader or in a high-pressure environment, that experience can often say more than what’s written on their CV. Succeeding under a challenging boss, or in a demanding workplace shows resilience, adaptability, and a strong work ethic - qualities that can carry over into any role. But don’t rely on that alone. Always assess attitude, adaptability, and potential.
Keeping your site safe – what needs to change?
Most sites follow the rules but is that enough? The law outlines what organisations must do to manage risks, provide training, and keep workers safe. But health and safety is about more than just ticking boxes.
What About Psychological Safety?
If your people feel like they can’t speak up, whether it’s about unsafe conditions, unclear instructions, or even their own fatigue, those risks won’t get reported. A site that looks compliant on paper can still be dangerous if workers don’t feel safe enough to raise concerns.
“At my last job, there were plenty of times I saw something that didn’t seem right, but no one ever spoke up. You didn’t want to be ‘that guy’ who made a fuss, and most of us figured, ‘that’s just how things are.’ When people did report issues, nothing changed, so after a while, you just stopped bothering. It wasn’t until someone actually got hurt that management started paying attention, but by then, it was too late.”
Encouraging anonymous safety feedback or holding regular, informal check-ins can uncover risks before they become incidents. And that’s where Key Skills’ model is different because their team doesn’t just place people and disappear. They stay in regular contact with their workers and make site visits to check in.
Consultants are the gatekeepers for your temp workforce, says the Key Skills team. If your workers don’t feel safe raising something on site, they’ll come to us and we’ll make sure it’s followed up.
Why Reputation Matters
A site’s safety reputation impacts your ability to hire and retain good people. If a site is known for cutting corners or ignoring concerns, good workers won’t stick around. But if your business has a genuine safety culture, it shows, and the right people will want to work for you.
What Can You Do?
Take an honest look at your safety culture
Run an anonymous check-in survey to find out what your team really thinks
Factor mental health into safety discussions. Stress and fatigue lead to mistakes
And above all, make reporting easy and judgement-free
When people feel safe, they speak up, and when they speak up, things get better.
Coming next month in Hire Wire..
Global talent shifts
Visa rules are getting tougher in other places, which weirdly puts NZ in a good spot. We’ll look at why more skilled people might be looking our way—and what that actually means for employers on the ground.
The real state of the job market
The headlines say things are picking up. The numbers say otherwise. Productivity’s flat, wages aren’t moving, and people are still heading offshore. So what’s really going on and what should you be thinking about?
The future is reusable
Less waste, more reuse. The pressure’s on to cut construction waste and meet new compliance rules—and that’s going to change who you need to hire. We’ll dig into what skills are becoming essential on-site.
20 Years of Ailsa & Beccy
Yep, 20 years of working together. Somehow still standing. Next month we’re telling the whole story, what’s changed, what hasn’t, the wild bits, and what we wish more people knew about hiring and hanging in there.