“This change in tack for a telco to require staff to fund their own work devices and plans is unprecedented – especially with the expectation that staff should use their personal phones and data plans for work,” a source said.
“Not unexpectedly, many staff are rattled by Unlock and question how an employer can suddenly turn an essential business tool into a necessary personal expense.”
Staff are also concerned about committing to a term which may outlive their employment with One NZ considering to the current cost-pressured state of the telco market.
“In this cost-of-living crisis, the unexpected $44 per month additional expense comes as an unwanted kick in the guts to staff,” the source said, adding the price of the plan would revert back to $85 a month if an employee left the company.
“Very few colleagues I’ve spoken with have found themselves coming out ahead after becoming ‘Unlocked’ by One NZ.”
Addressing these concerns, Preston said One NZ has had strong engagement from its people on One Unlock, with good support for bringing the employee and customer experience closer together and providing more choice.
“At the same time, it’s clear a change like this raises questions, particularly around how it works in practice and the financial implications,” she said.
“We’ve listened and are pushing the start date for most employees to 1 May, giving us more time to share clearer information, answer questions, and make sure people feel confident in the value that Unlock offers”.
The Unlock programme added to broader staff benefits One NZ offer, Preston said.
“We fully fund Southern Cross Health Insurance for employees, their partner and children under 21. We also provide life and trauma insurance, market-leading parental leave with 22 weeks’ full pay top-up, and KiwiSaver contributions with flexible SuperCash options,” Preston said.
“These are substantial, tangible benefits that provide real financial support – in addition to connectivity benefits.”
These benefits are available to all permanent full and part-time One NZ employees, including those working within retail stores, apart from temporary staff, while health insurance was available for the employee, their partner and dependent children.
Meanwhile, Goddard said organisations globally were adapting to new ways of working, adding Unlock allowed organisations to balance security and flexibility in a single, coherent mobility strategy.
“Under Unlock, phones stop being a compliance-driven benefit and start feeling like a genuine perk,” said Goddard.
“Businesses can better manage and reduce costs, while employees get something that feels personal and keeps rewarding them over time.”
Goddard added while One NZ will become one of the first businesses, and the first New Zealand telco, to adopt this new way of managing staff phones, the company’s sales team was already talking with enterprise customers about the proposition.
How Phone Dollars and One Wallet work
According to One NZ, staff earn $300 upfront for every new Pay Monthly mobile they add, plus $300 when they bring a new or existing broadband connection. They can also earn Phone Dollars on their monthly bill based on their number of eligible connections. For one connection users earn back 2 per cent of their monthly bill, and then 4 per cent for two connections and 6 per cent for three or more connections.
Phone Dollars can also be earned Phone Dollars on everyday spending through the Dosh banking app. Users can also receive 1,700 Phone Dollars toward their next phone when taking out a home loan with Dosh.
Phone Dollars accumulate in a user’s One Wallet digital wallet and can be used towards their next device upgrade. Each Phone Dollar equals one real dollar off the price of a new interest-free phone.
One NZ said the One Wallet programme was designed to meaningfully reduce the cost of a smartphone, one of New Zealand households’ biggest technology expenses, while strengthening long-term customer loyalty.
Staff also earn $33.34 Phone Dollars each month they’re on Unlock – equating to $1,200 every three years.
Unused Phone Dollars expire after four years.