Commitment to accuracy with Cowley Stanich
“I’ve always understood the EMA to be the experts when it comes to employment law.” – Megan Hucker
EMA AdviceLine
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The EMA's AdviceLine provides a gateway to solutions for Members, with a team of in-house advisors who offer support and answer employment-related questions. Read how Cowley Stanich & Co Ltd wage specialist Megan Hucker makes use of the service to double-check she is getting it right for her clients.
‘The Flaming Accountants’, Cowley Stanich & Co Ltd is the longest-serving firm of chartered accountants in the North Waikato Region.
It trades out of the old Huntly Fire Station and offers a range of accounting services, from rural accounting and payroll services to succession and retirement planning as well as commercial and rental property.
Like bouncing ideas off a work colleague, the EMA is there to act as a sounding board for its Members.
Cowley Stanich wage specialist Megan Hucker knows the value of having a bit of back-up.
She’s been with the firm for more than 12 years and handles client payroll needs using the IMS payroll package.
Prior to her arrival, she had been with Waikato Golf and used the EMA’s services there. Upon arrival at Cowley Stanich, she encouraged the company to join
Getting it Right
Simple things such as checking the EMA’s collection of downloadable guides and forms helps her stay up to speed on new regulations.
“I’ve always understood the EMA to be the experts when it comes to employment law,” she says.
“You can get yourself in trouble if you’re not getting it right.”
This can mean downloading guides such as our guide to medical incapacity or parental leave and the Employment Protection Act, which includes employer obligations to employees, definitions of key terms under the Act, and details about employee entitlements and notice requirements.
Hucker has been working with payroll clients for 20 years and “every now and again you get a tricky one”.
She uses the EMA’s AdviceLine to double-check she is giving the right advice to the company’s clients.
Examples of queries Hucker has received that she wanted a second opinion on have included:
- Is it a requirement to show sick leave balances on pay slips?
- Does the pay parity arrangement for nurses also include the employer contribution?
- Are discretionary bonuses included in gross earnings for the purpose of calculating annual holiday pay?
- If an employee is on call on Sunday, January 1, but doesn’t normally work this day, how will the public holidays get paid?
- An employee keeps calling in sick every Monday. What can the employer do?
AdviceLine Team Manager Sean Hanna says there’s no book on a shelf that will answer the questions that come through the EMA call centre.
Instead, long experience of handling complex issues has given the AdviceLine team the experience to provide on-the-ground advice and the knowledge to know when issues need to be escalated to the EMA’s Legal or Consulting teams.
