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Your employee’s first day or week

Being prepared for your employee’s first day at work will set you and your new staff member up for a great relationship. It’ll make them feel welcome, organised and confident.

On their first day

On an employee’s first day, you need to:

  • confirm start and finish times
  • agree the timing and duration of rest and meal breaks if not in the employment contract
  • let them know who to contact if they’re sick or if there’s an emergency
  • talk to them about any rules or policies that will apply to them
  • set up their personnel file
  • provide a health and safety briefing, including:
    • supplying them with any safety equipment
    • training them in its use
    • your evacuation plan
    • any hazards in the workplace
  • make sure they have the knowledge and experience to do the job without hurting themselves or anyone else — if they don’t, make sure they’re supervised by someone more experienced while they learn.

Inductions(external link) — Employment New Zealand

You could also help new employees feel welcome by:

  • introducing them to everyone else in the team
  • assigning a workplace buddy to help them find everything they need
  • arranging a morning tea
  • checking in on them throughout the week.

Personnel files

Health & safety basics 

Find out what you know about hiring and managing people. 

Documents to complete

Tax code declaration

Every new employee needs to complete a tax code declaration.

Tax code declaration (IR330)(external link) — Inland Revenue

KiwiSaver

Employees who start a new job and meet the criteria for automatic enrolment must be enrolled in KiwiSaver, unless you offer an alternative superannuation scheme approved by the Financial Markets Authority, and are an exempt employer.

If you are an exempt employer, your employees may still choose to opt in to the KiwiSaver scheme, and you will need to make deductions and pay employer contributions to their KiwiSaver accounts. You must provide KiwiSaver information to all new employees and to any existing employees who ask for the information.

If they are already enrolled in KiwiSaver, they must give you a:

  • KiwiSaver deduction form (KS2), or
  • Application for savings suspension.

If they don’t opt-out, request a contributions holiday, or provide you with a deduction form, you need to make deductions at the standard rate of 3%.

Automatic enrolment(external link) — Inland Revenue

KiwiSaver deduction form (KS2)(external link) — Inland Revenue

Take a savings break(external link) — Inland Revenue

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