The Ministry of Employment, Business and Innovation has launched an online tool to make it easy for employers to create workplace policies tailored to suit the needs of their business.

Using the Workplace Policy Builder facility on MBIE’s Business.govt.nz site, business owners can create policies on flexible work, IT and social media, and leave and holidays. Other polices will be added over the course of 2017.

“Hiring staff is one of the major pain points for small businesses, and with tools like the Workplace Policy Builder and the Employment Agreement Builder we aim to make it as easy as possible for them to get it right,” says business.govt.nz Manager Matt Kennedy-Good.

“Along with legal requirements such as individual employment agreements, strong workplace policies are part of the foundation of a good employment relationship.

“These free-to-use online tools save employers’ time and money by helping them quickly and easily establish this foundation, and avoid misunderstandings which may lead to disputes,” says Mr Kennedy-Good.

Accessible across mobiles, tablets and desktops, the Workplace Policy Builder provides plain-English explanations of each policy, common mistakes to be avoided, as well as top tips.

All the policies in the tool comply with current law, and users can choose to be updated if there are any relevant law changes.

The Workplace Policy Builder is part of a growing suite of tools built and hosted by business.govt.nz, along with Employment New Zealand, to help make compliance easier for small businesses.