{"id":2412,"date":"2020-12-24T12:38:37","date_gmt":"2020-12-24T02:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nz.legalvision.com.au\/?p=2412"},"modified":"2020-12-24T12:38:37","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T02:38:37","slug":"are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m an Employer. Are Unpaid Trial Shifts Legal in New Zealand?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unpaid trial shifts are not against the law in New Zealand<\/span>.<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> <\/span>M<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">any employers do opt to use them as a way of assessing whether a job applicant has the needed skills to do a particular role.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, you have to be careful when looking to use unpaid trial shifts. It can be quite easy to mistakenly breach the law despite your good intentions. Generally speaking, the law in New Zealand is protective of employee rights. <\/span>A<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n individual may be able to claim minimum employment rights if the trial shifts have not been carefully and specifically designed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This article will:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">set out why unpaid trial shifts are a popular option for many employers;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">outline how you can ensure you conduct an unpaid trial shift without breaking any employment laws; and<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">highlight some common mistakes that employers tend to make.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Why Do Employers Want to Use Unpaid Trial Shifts?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In many fast-paced industries, such as retail and hospitality, it can be important to see if a job candidate can perform a particular role in the workplace itself.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--border-line\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For example, if you are hiring for a well-trained barista in a cafe, you may not be able to fully assess the candidate&#8217;s suitability from a face-to-face interview in an office. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For that reason, a short trial of the applicant can be a helpful aid to the recruitment process.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How to Make Sure Your Company\u2019s Unpaid Trial Shift Is Lawful<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As an employer, the most important thing for you to ensure is that there is absolute clarity and certainty about the unpaid trial shift. You need to outline what it:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">entails; and<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">does not <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">entail.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should make clear to the applicant the reasons why the trial shift is occurring.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--info box--icon\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, this could be to test for a particular skill in the fast-paced environment they would need to be working in.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You also need to be clear about:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what the test will actually cover;<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">who will be overseeing the trial shift; and<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">what y<\/span>ou <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">require from the applicant.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--info box--icon\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For instance, if you are hiring for a chef in a commercial kitchen, they may need to cook a particular dish or set of dishes in a set time-frame.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You should also clarify that the i<\/span>ntent of the <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">job trial is to assess the candidate\u2019s abilities in some particular way, and that it is not an offer of employment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ideally, an unpaid trial shift would be:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">short;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">focused on a particular set of skills or attributes which cannot be tested for outside the workplace; and<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">clear in direction.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You must ensure the candidate has no reason to believe that y<\/span>ou will<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> pa<\/span>y them<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for the test<\/span> or <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that they are being offered a position. <\/span>This includes <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">whether on a probationary period or otherwise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<a href=\"#content-next\"\n   class=\"block p-4 mt-10 text-xl font-bold text-center text-white no-underline bg-gray-800 rounded-t-xl\">\n    Continue reading this article below the form\n    <i class=\"text-xl fa-regular fa-arrow-down\"><\/i>\n<\/a>\n<div class=\"px-6 pt-10 pb-12 mb-10 text-center bg-gray-100 rounded-b-xl sm:px-12 test\">\n    <div class=\"mb-8 text-2xl font-bold text-orange\">\n        Need legal 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Of course, doing so would be unfair and the employee would be within their rights to seek minimum entitlements (such as the minimum wage for their time spent working).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Common mistakes by employers include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">leading the candidate to believe they would automatically get the job if they performed one or multiple unpaid shifts;<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">conducting unpaid trial shifts where there is substantive commercial benefit to the employer from the unpaid shift. For example, a full work day\u2019s shift by a job applicant without any specificity or guidance as to which skills were actually being tested; and<\/span><\/li><li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">not actually supervising the candidate as they perform the work trial. If nobody is witnessing what they are doing, it cannot really be considered any kind of test or trial for a future role. This would be considered unpaid labour under New Zealand law.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"box box--border-line\">\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Avoiding these mistakes and having a focus on certainty and clarity with trial shifts is essential to conduct a legal and proper process during recruitment.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unpaid trial shifts are legal in New Zealand<\/span>. However,<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> employers commonly conduct them in ways that breach the employment rights of the employee. This can jeopardise the recruitment process. It is very important to be clear with the applicant about what the purpose, scope and design of the trial actually is. It is also important to avoid leading the applicant on<\/span>. This includes <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">by hinting that they &#8216;might&#8217; get paid, or be offered the role if they work the shift. If you want to know more about unpaid trial shifts, <\/span>contact <a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment-lawyers-lp\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">LegalVision\u2019s New Zealand employment lawyers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on 0800 005 570, or complete the form on this page.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1608776072160\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>What is an unpaid trial shift?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Where a job applicant works in to ascertain whether they have particular skills, and the ability to perform those skills in a realistic context. The applicant is not paid for this and should not be under any impressions otherwise.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1608776086267\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>When are they illegal to use in New Zealand?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A variety of different trials have been found to have been illegal in New Zealand. These commonly include where the employer was looking to take advantage of the employee by getting them to perform labour for free, and where no actual skillset or recruitment process was really being conducted.<\/p> <\/div> <div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-1608776101208\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\"><strong>Can I make a job applicant do multiple unpaid trial shifts?<\/strong><\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">This is not technically illegal, but in most instances would be found to amount to a breach of the employee\u2019s rights. You would need a specific reason why multiple shifts (as opposed to one, or none) were required to ascertain a particular skillset.\u00a0<\/p> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unpaid trial shifts are not against the law in New Zealand. Many employers do opt to use them as a way of assessing whether a job applicant has the needed skills to do a particular role.\u00a0 However, you have to be careful when looking to use unpaid trial shifts. It can be quite easy to<a href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"sr-only\">&#8220;I\u2019m an Employer. Are Unpaid Trial Shifts Legal in New Zealand?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13235,"featured_media":25,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[24,25,54,375,424],"class_list":["post-2412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","tag-startup","tag-small-business","tag-medium-business","tag-employment-law","tag-job-trial"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Are Unpaid Trial Shifts Legal in New Zealand? | LegalVision New Zealand<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LegalVision lawyer, Matthew Bartlett explains how you can conduct unpaid trial shifts without breaking any New Zealand employment laws.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are Unpaid Trial Shifts Legal in New Zealand? | LegalVision New Zealand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LegalVision lawyer, Matthew Bartlett explains how you can conduct unpaid trial shifts without breaking any New Zealand employment laws.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/employment\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"LegalVision New Zealand\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LegalVision\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-24T02:38:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/legalvision.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/iStock-1168190895.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2120\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Matthew Bartlett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LegalVision_law\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Matthew Bartlett\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/employment\\\/are-unpaid-trial-shifts-legal\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Matthew Bartlett\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/legalvision.co.nz\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9387f642e47723252dc4b6c7f3f5fe83\"},\"headline\":\"I\u2019m an Employer. 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