Managers from across OCS New Zealand recently completed employment law training delivered by legal specialists from DLA Piper. While the content focused on legislation, the purpose was practical – helping managers make clear, confident decisions in the real environments our colleagues work in every day.
As a national service provider with colleagues working in hundreds of different locations, the decisions our managers make have real consequences. Pay queries, leave requests, roster changes, and support for colleagues working alone are part of daily operations in facilities management. This training reinforced the standards that already guide those decisions and strengthened the consistency customers expect from us.
Why this training matters
For customers, employment clarity is about more than compliance. It supports stable operations, fair treatment of people, and smoother day-to-day delivery. For colleagues, it provides certainty that processes are transparent and that their rights are upheld. The training emphasised how those two outcomes depend on one another.
The training covered key areas of employment practice that managers encounter across our sites – from understanding the different types of employment arrangements to ensuring agreements, records and pay decisions meet legal standards. Managers also worked through their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act, including what due diligence looks like for those in leadership roles.
A significant focus was placed on ensuring decisions about hours, pay, deductions, and leave are applied consistently, especially in a large, dispersed workforce. Managers discussed real scenarios reflecting the situations they face each week – when to seek clarity, how to document decisions, and how small errors can escalate if repeated across multiple colleagues.
Another important component was the safety of colleagues who work alone or in isolated environments. The session reinforced the practical expectations for monitoring colleagues, maintaining effective communication, and knowing when to escalate concerns. This included risks associated with remote workers and the steps managers must take to ensure appropriate systems are in place and functioning as intended.
Taken together, the training strengthened managers’ understanding of their obligations and reinforced a shared message: well-informed decisions protect colleagues, reduce avoidable issues, and support the reliable service customers expect from OCS.
What managers took away
Ross Cameron, General Manager Southern, says the session helped translate the law into the situations managers face on the ground.
“In operations, things move quickly and you’re often making calls on the spot,” explained Ross. “The training made it clear where the legal boundaries sit and what we’re responsible for as managers. A lot of us had assumptions about deductions, lone workers and when to escalate something, and it was good to have those spelled out properly. For me, it comes back to keeping our colleagues safe and making decisions we can stand behind.”
Jeff Fulton, Area Manager, says the value was in understanding why small decisions matter.
“We all know the basics, but talking through real examples made it clear how easy it is to misjudge a detail,” said Jeff. “Having clarity means fewer issues later on. It also helps us give consistent guidance to supervisors and frontline colleagues, which keeps everything running more smoothly for our customers.”
Supporting customers through confident leadership
Customers depend on predictable operations — clean starts, correct rosters, reliable service — and those outcomes are strengthened when managers understand their responsibilities and feel equipped to act decisively. This training supports:
- Stronger risk management, with fewer avoidable issues
- A stable workforce, supported by fair and consistent processes
- Better day-to-day decisions, supporting smooth service delivery
- Greater transparency, which customers increasingly seek from service partners.
The Employment Law training sits within a wider programme of capability development for OCS leaders. As the business grows, so does the need for clear expectations and shared standards. Investing in this learning helps ensure our colleagues stay safe, our managers stay confident, and our customers see the benefit in the consistency of our work.
