Trusted advice: EMA’s role in ECL Group’s success
“There’s a huge amount of trust in the EMA.” – Mason Spiers, Head of People and Capability
At a glance
- Complex workforce management: With nearly 300 staff across engineering, IT, call centres, and technical services, ECL Group needed to manage diverse employment relations and HR challenges nationwide.
- Rapidly changing legislation: The team required expert, on-call support for HR and ER issues without overwhelming internal resources.
Benefits
- Compliance confidence
- Union engagement
- Strategic focus
- Trusted partnership
“No one else provides that information so comprehensively and accurately. It’s well-balanced and delivered with a sense of humour.”
– Mason Spiers, ECL Head of People and Capability
Challenge
ECL Group, a subsidiary of Counties Energy, has nearly 300 staff delivering nationwide fuel systems and technical solutions. From Z Energy to NZ Post, its clients rely on ECL’s engineers, electricians, call centre teams and IT specialists to keep vital infrastructure operating.
But overseeing such a diverse workforce across New Zealand comes with risk and complexity.
The business needed a trusted partner to keep on top of the fast-changing employment relations environment, from case law developments and collective bargaining to draft legislation like the Holidays Act review.
In addition, ECL sought expert, on-call guidance for everyday HR and ER challenges, from performance management to employment agreements, without overloading its internal teams.
This is where ECL Head of People and Capability Mason Spiers turned to the EMA.
Solution
Spiers, who has relied on the EMA through previous roles at Air New Zealand and St Cuthbert’s College, quickly signed ECL up for membership when he joined the business.
Since then, the EMA has supported ECL Group across a range of critical areas.
Through the AdviceLine, ECL receives immediate, tailored guidance on employment law, pay queries and disciplinary processes.
“There’s a huge amount of trust in the EMA; I’m happy to stand up and be measured on that,” Spiers says.
The Member Bulletin, with its regular case summaries, ensures ECL stays up to date on important employment decisions, while the seasonal Member Briefings provides insights on the economy, case law, and emerging issues.
“No one else provides that information so comprehensively and accurately. It’s well-balanced and delivered with a sense of humour,” Spiers says.
ECL has also benefited from webinars, on topics such as the draft Holidays Act legislation, and exclusive sessions with government ministers, to keep the business closely connected to regulatory developments.
In addition, the EMA’s practical resources, from employment agreement templates to performance tools, offers ECL robust frameworks to support their people, with plans to tap into even more of these resources as their strategy evolves.
Result
The EMA partnership means ECL is ahead of the game when it comes to compliance.
Spiers says the EMA’s balanced, business-savvy advice has given his team confidence in dealing with unions and navigating ER challenges.
“We have a lot of interaction with the unions, so having the EMA helps to provide that yin and yang.”
Looking forward, ECL plans to tap into the EMA’s leadership training for emerging managers and broaden internal awareness of how membership can strengthen leadership capabilities.
EMA - Helping businesses make the right call
Every day in business we’re asked to make decisions, big and small. These calls are even more challenging in shifting economic and legislative conditions.
At the EMA we’re here to be the sounding board and trusted mentor that businesses need to help move from complexity to clarity. From navigating compliance issues to staying on top of employment relations to helping your leaders learn and grow, we’re here to deliver greater support, certainty and growth to our Members.