Practices in the NZ workplace

[wellywearer]

As a European I find the following practices unusual within the workplace...are they commonplace in NZ?
Does it depend if you're in the public or private sector?

- No structured induction to the organisation and/or position

- Blessing food (for example morning coffee and cakes)

- Group singing (waiata)

and have you come across any practices which have surprised you? What else should I prepare myself for ?

[Otaku]

My additions to the list-

1. Coffee Culture - Instead of meeting rooms, people seem to prefer (sometimes noisy) Cafes.

2. Huge emphasis on being 'culture fit'. This will change as more immigration happens and workplace gets more diverse.

[wellywearer]

[QUOTE=Otaku;492184]1. Coffee Culture - Instead of meeting rooms, people seem to prefer (sometimes noisy) Cafes.QUOTE]

Yeah...coffee everywhere and anytime!

[lisany]

My additions to the list-

1. Coffee Culture - Instead of meeting rooms, people seem to prefer (sometimes noisy) Cafes.

I plan to travel to NZ next year for working hollidays.
I don´t like so much office eviroments so the coffee culture sounds great to me!!!

[Otaku]

I plan to travel to NZ next year for working hollidays.
I don´t like so much office eviroments so the coffee culture sounds great to me!!!

You are in for a treat...except even mediocre coffee is expensive.

[girlwithanewf]

How about the morning quiz? Where people gather round and answer the questions from the NZ Herald quiz.

[wellywearer]

How about the morning quiz? Where people gather round and answer the questions from the NZ Herald quiz.

Oh yes! the quiz...how did I forget that one ?

[wellywearer]

I'm hoping someone will post saying they had a great induction programme....

[Rob&Don]

I'm hoping someone will post saying they had a great induction programme....

I had a great induction day...............4 months after I started working for the DHB!

[Jacqi B]

I like the quiz - a chance to spend five minutes with colleagues, not talking about work.
I don't like meetings in cafes. I don't think they are appropriate venues.

I've had both good and bad introductions to jobs here (Wellington). I do administrative work - PA, EA, Team Administrator.

I had a temp job that was initially for three months (it was extended) where I had a whole week of handover from the person I was to replace. Mostly temp jobs, here or UK, are 'in at the deep end and pick it up as you go along'.

I've had two permanent jobs here. I started a job with one of the universities just before Easter this year. Induction was almost non-existent. Trying to find out what I was supposed to do and, more importantly, how to do it. The girl who had been filling my position between the previous person leaving and me starting (several months as they didn't bother to advertise it for a while) was still there, covering for someone else who had gone on a long overseas trip. She showed me some stuff but it was soon clear that she had been shown very little. The office manager didn't have a clue how the place was run. Asking her how to do anything left me more confused than I had been before I asked. The 'official induction' was an hour with an old guy who explained a little about where our School fitted into the larger university, told us how much holiday we got and something about pensions and that was it. The job should have been really interesting. Instead it was a nightmare because of lack of or conflicting information. Eventually I left, for the sake of my sanity. I had another temp job less than a week later.

I started a permanent job with a Government department eight weeks ago and it couldn't have been more different. On my first day I was not only shown around properly but was introduced to my assigned 'buddy' who I could ask things of. The people I work directly for and with made sure everything I needed was on my desk or set up on my computer before I arrived, despite having just one week in which to do it. I was shown one piece of work at a time, properly. For occasional things that habitually don't get done in the prescribed order, this was explained to me. I had plenty of reading material to learn the background and plenty of meetings with people who could show me how to do things. There is a clear induction plan in place for all new employees, made available via the intranet and face to face.
A few weeks after starting I had an induction day along with a dozen or more others who had started over the previous few months. It started with a talk from the Chief Executive, had lots of interesting and informative sessions and included visits to other buildings to understand what they did.