Ruby opens recycled clothing store in Newmarket amid thrifting boom
Popular New Zealand clothing brand Ruby has entered into the growing and competitive recycled clothing market with a standalone store, a move its general manager hopes will lead to a continued thrifting expansion.
During Covid the brand saw a desire within its community for recycled pieces from previous fashion seasons,
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Otago Daily Times
3 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Return-to-office policies under the spotlight again
There are many differing opinions about the benefits and drawbacks of flexible working. It is now common for businesses to operate hybrid and work-from-home models. But perhaps the tide is turning. Employers are beginning to retreat from their post-Covid flexible working policies and many, including the whole public sector, are considering reimplementing in-office mandates. Putting to one side the arguments about productivity, wellbeing and the like, a recent case is a reminder employers and employees will not always see eye to eye about where work should be performed. In Petrie v Alphero Ltd the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) considered a claim involving a dispute about remote working arrangements. Whether Alphero Ltd (the employer) had agreed to certain flexible working arrangements was the key issue, as Mr Petrie (the employee) argued he was unjustifiably (constructively) dismissed when he resigned. He said that was because Alphero breached a prior remote-working agreement. Mr Petrie had recently moved to Whanganui, whereas Alphero's office was in Wellington. The ERA ultimately held Mr Petrie was not unjustifiably disadvantaged, constructively dismissed or subjected to a breach of good faith when Alphero altered an arrangement of four days at home and one in the office to three days a week in the office and two at home. Mr Petrie started working for Alphero in December 2021. He initially worked fully from the office but not long after starting, began to work one day per week from home. Covid-19 concerns in late January 2022 meant all Alphero staff were permitted to work from home for a period. Seemingly, Alphero had agreed remote and hybrid working arrangements with many of its staff. Some of these were formally agreed, some were project-specific and some were informal policy decisions at Alphero's discretion. In the second half of 2022 Alphero updated its flexible working policy. The policy confirmed existing work-from-home agreements did not need to be renegotiated. Mr Petrie was working on a project for Alphero's client TVNZ. The unique characteristics of that project, and TVNZ being a remote client, meant there was project-specific flexibility where staff were permitted to work four days remotely and one day in the office (described as being a "4:1" basis). But the project-specific flexibility was exactly that limited to that project. Alphero's communications about it were consistent, being that employees working on the TVNZ project were able to work from home for longer "but not forever". The employer's communications also appear to have reserved its right to require employees to work from the office more regularly. In late 2023 Mr Petrie's new manager resolved to have one-on-one discussions with staff reporting to him, including about flexible working arrangements. Around this time Mr Petrie had bought a home in Whanganui. He had not told Alphero about his plan to move to Whanganui. Mr Petrie then requested a fully remote working arrangement. Shortly prior to Christmas 2023, Mr Petrie's manager reiterated Alphero could not support fully remote working arrangements on a permanent basis. Alphero agreed to provide a temporary flexible-working arrangement until March 2024. It seems Alphero anticipated Mr Petrie was looking for alternative (remote) work and that he would likely resign from his role. That is understandable, given Mr Petrie was now living in Whanganui and appeared reluctant to travel to Wellington for work. Some confusion arose, and Mr Petrie clarified he was not intending to resign. In turn, Alphero sought to clarify that it was not agreeing to a permanent flexible working arrangement, and that it required Mr Petrie from the beginning of April to start working three days a week from the Wellington office. Mr Petrie resigned about a month later. He then raised a personal grievance, alleging he had been unjustifiably (constructively) dismissed and had been unjustifiably disadvantaged by the employer requiring him to work from the Wellington office. The ERA found the "4:1" arrangement was only a temporary arrangement, contingent on the employee being engaged on the specific TVNZ project and the employer's needs. The employer retained the discretion to rescind the temporary arrangements and to direct employees to work from the office in accordance with its own policies. Alphero had been open and transparent in the way it communicated about flexible working arrangements, and it had not arbitrarily removed the flexible working arrangements solely in response to Mr Petrie buying a house in a different city. Given those findings, Mr Petrie had not been unjustifiably disadvantaged and it followed his constructive dismissal argument must also fail as it was predicated on the employer having breached a prior arrangement about flexible working. The key lesson for employees and employers is to get on the same page about what is agreed and what is not. If both parties are happy with informal flexibility then that is fine, but an employee who decides to move cities assuming they will be able to work remotely certainly takes a risk their employer will not agree. Formal arrangements should be documented. Parties to an employment relationship should approach discussions in good faith, openly and transparently. Part 6AA of the Employment Relations Act 2000 includes a statutory right to make a flexible working request, which employers must consider and decide whether to approve or refuse. There are good reasons for flexibility, but there are also good reasons for requiring staff to work from the office. Proponents of in-office work say many types of work are less effectively done remotely. Benefits of in-office work include collaboration, connectivity, innovation, mentorship and skill development. But employers should also recognise that one size will not fit all, and policies should include the flexibility to respond to individual circumstances. The worst outcomes and the highest likelihood of grievances and disputes will be from employers communicating poorly or failing to explain why they made the decision they did. • The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not purport to be specific legal or professional advice. James Cowan is a senior associate with Anderson Lloyd, specialising in Employment Law.
1News
16 hours ago
- 1News
Warnings of dramatic increase in 'hidden homeless'
Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett told Q+A's Maiki Sherman that extensive homelessness is now becoming a new normal, particularly among those who are either living on the streets or sleeping in their cars. "It has unfortunately become the look for Aotearoa, and not just in Tāmaki, Rotorua, Wellington, who hit the spotlight," said Barrett. "Last week we were contacted from the North Shore [of Auckland] Never in ten years has the city Lifewise been contacted from the North Shore that there was visible homelessness. So this tells us that the numbers aren't just central city anymore." She added that various policies aimed at addressing homelessness had not worked, including the use of motels by the Ministry of Social Development, and in some cases had made situations worse by re-traumatising homeless people. ADVERTISEMENT Barrett said Lifewise had warned at the beginning of that policy that housing people in motels for longer than three months would make it very difficult to then transition people out again. "It was too rushed – it was a time of reaction rather than response, and the suffering we see today is actually a result of how that wasn't managed appropriately." She criticised some of the motels and social service providers who participated in the policy, who in Barrett's opinion saw it as a chance to make quick money. "Longstanding providers could see the risk, but the newer providers kind of went for the gold. And unfortunately the whānau today, who are still experiencing the same trauma as when they went into the motels, is what we're all visibly seeing today in the streets." "The moteliers, out of all of that, they made the gold, they made the cash. Of course they were heavily funded by the government." The government recently announced they had hit their target of dramatically reducing the number of people living in motels five years ahead of schedule. Alternative accommodation has been found for a majority of those moved on from motels. But Barrett believes that has contributed to an increase in the number of people rough-sleeping, and in many cases people are no longer engaged with social service providers. ADVERTISEMENT "If you look at the stats we have – our data right now for Tāmaki is more than 700 sleeping rough in the streets. But there are hidden homeless – well hidden. So the data only comes when they come in to access services.' "Most of the numbers that we know are out there don't come in and access, and we only know about them by word of mouth." "So when I hear the targets have been met, you have to ask how and where. Because our numbers in the community context are heightening." Haehaetu Barrett recently announced her resignation as Lifewise chief executive, after 15 years with the organisation in various roles. She will be participating later this week in Lifewise's Big Sleepout, which the organisation has brought back this year to raise awareness of homelessness issues after suspending it at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of New Zealand On Air
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Ruby opens recycled clothing store in Newmarket amid thrifting boom
Ruby general manager Emily Miller-Sharma said that its new Ruby Says Recycle forced it to adopt a new business model. Popular New Zealand clothing brand Ruby has entered into the growing and competitive recycled clothing market with a standalone store, a move its general manager hopes will lead to a continued thrifting expansion. During Covid the brand saw a desire within its community for recycled pieces from previous fashion seasons,
