Equipment, vehicles and clothing

Workplace equipment

Workplace equipment means tools, equipment, devices and machinery that an employee uses to do their job.

Employers usually provide all the equipment that employees need at work.

Employers should have a workplace policy in place that clearly explains:

• what equipment the employer will provide — this could be different for different roles in an organisation
• who is responsible for maintaining the equipment and keeping it in good working order
• who will organise and pay for repairs
• what happens when the employee ends their employment, for example, returning equipment to their employer. 

If employees provide their own equipment

In some professions it’s common practice for employees to use their own equipment — for example, a chef might prefer to use their own knives.

If the employer and employee agree that the employee will provide some of their own equipment, they should record this in writing — for example, in the — so that both parties are clear about their obligations.

The agreement should also say if the employee will get a tool allowance to cover the cost of buying their own equipment. For example, a carpenter might get a tool allowance to build up their own set of carpentry tools.

If employees provide their own equipment, they can choose where to buy them. Employers must not make employees use their wages to buy equipment from a particular supplier.

Allowances

Allowances – Inland Revenue(external link)

Vehicles

Employers with employees who are driving for work purposes should have a vehicle use policy in place. This may or may not cover travel to and from work at the start and end of the working day. 

Types of pay

Employers might provide a vehicle or employees might provide their own. The information here provides guidance about what a vehicle use policy should cover in either situation.

There are additional requirements for young people using vehicles at work.

Young employees

Health and safety when driving for work 

This information does not provide guidance about health and safety risks from driving or duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act. For information about this, see:

Driving (work-related road safety) – Government Health and Safety Lead (external link)

Seatbelts - a guide for businesses – WorkSafe (external link)

Work-related road safety – NZ Transport Agency(external link)

Information to help employers develop a health and safety policy for employees using vehicles, and a sample policy, is available in the ACC and NZ Transport Agency publication ‘Your safe driving policy’.

Your Safe Driving Policy (PDF, 430 KB)(external link)

Employer provides vehicle 

If the employer provides a vehicle, the policy should make this clear. It should cover:

• a requirement for drivers to have the appropriate class of driving licence for the vehicle they’re driving
• any restrictions on personal use 
• if anyone else can drive the vehicle, for example, a spouse
• who pays the insurance excess if an accident happens — this might depend on whether the vehicle was being driven for work purposes at the time
• who pays if any parking or traffic fines are incurred 
• who pays for vehicle registration and warranting
• what the arrangements for buying fuel are, for example, employers with their own fuel tanks might provide fuel for their employees
• if there is GPS or other monitoring on the vehicle, and how this information will be used, for example, what the consequences are if the vehicle exceeds a speed limit
• expectations for care and maintenance 
• how employees log their business use 
• any arrangement or restrictions for parking the vehicle, for example, if it needs to be locked overnight in a garage. 

Employee uses their own vehicle 

If an employee uses their own vehicle to drive for work purposes, this should be set out in the policy and agreed in writing, for example, in the employment agreement. 

The policy should cover:

• a requirement for the driver to have the appropriate class of driving licence for the vehicle
• who will insure the vehicle, for example, if the employer will insure it for work purposes
• what happens if there is an accident while the employee is driving for work purposes
• how employees log their business use 
• reimbursement or allowance for vehicle use and expenses like fuel, or ongoing costs like registration — information about claiming and reimbursing vehicle running costs can be found on the IRD website 
• if parking is available and who pays — some employers provide a paid parking space, or provide a parking space as part of a salary package which may be done by salary deduction with agreement from the employee.

Deductions

Vehicle expenses – Inland Revenue(external link)

Clothing and uniform

Clothing or uniform requirements should be documented in a workplace policy or in writing, for example, in employment agreements, so that employers and employees are clear about what’s required. Discussing and agreeing this during the hiring process can help avoid misunderstandings or problems later.

Uniform

Employers might provide and maintain uniform, or employees might provide it themselves. The information here provides guidance about what a uniform and dress policy should cover in either situation.

Employer provides uniform

Employers usually provide uniforms for employees, but they can ask employees to maintain and clean them. Sometimes employers pay employees a laundry allowance to cover cleaning costs.

The policy should cover:

• what the uniform requirements are
• what the employer will provide
• if there are any restrictions on where and when employees can wear their work uniform. For example, the employer might want the employee to wear their normal clothes to and from work and only wear their employer-supplied uniform while they are working. This could be for hygiene reasons, for example, if the employee works with food.
• responsibilities for maintaining and cleaning the uniform
• what happens when the employee ends their employment, for example, if they return the uniform. 

Employee provides uniform

If employees wear a generic (not branded) uniform, employers can ask them to provide it themselves, for example, a white-collared shirt, black dress pants and black shoes. In this situation, the employee can choose the clothing label and where they buy it from, and the uniform belongs to them. However, the employer can still ask for the uniform to be a certain standard.

The policy should cover:

• what the uniform or dress requirements are
• if a clothing allowance is provided to help employees cover costs
• if there are any restrictions on where and when employees can wear their work uniform. For example, the employer might want the employee to wear their normal clothes to and from work and only wear their uniform while they are working. This could be for hygiene reasons, for example, if the employee works with food.
• responsibilities for maintaining and cleaning the uniform.

Allowances

Further information about clothing allowances can be found on the IRD website. 

Meal and clothing allowances – Inland Revenue (external link)

Personal protective equipment

In some workplaces employers and employees have obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act about providing and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE). Guidance about PPE can be found on the WorkSafe website. 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) – WorkSafe (external link)

Dress code

Some workplaces have a dress code, for example, professional, business casual or casual, especially if employees are face to face with members of the public. 

Employers should consider providing examples of what is acceptable in their workplace’s dress code. This can help avoid misunderstandings, especially about things like visible body piercings and tattoos.

Name badges

Employees may have to wear a name badge at work. Employers must consider if requiring an employee to wear a name badge that shows their full name could put their safety or privacy at risk.

Employees who are concerned about having their first name or full name on a badge should discuss this with their employer. One option is to agree to use an alternative name at work.

How can I hide my identity for safety reasons? – Office of the Privacy Commissioner (external link)