Blog


How to set up an Employee bonus the smart way!

Did you have a good year? Rewarding your staff for a job well done is a key to retaining good employees. Why not celebrate the work you and your employees accomplished! If you’re planning on giving your employees a bonus, or thinking about it, Cardinal has important Tax information that you need to know about end of the year employee bonuses and options for how to set them up in your payroll system. IRS INFO […]


Educating Your Employees about Absences

Clarifying your company policy on various time-off claims is essential! What is it … sick time, family leave, paid time off or just a non-paid absence from work? Employees are not the only ones confused! When it comes to classifying an employee’s absence, employers themselves can be fuzzy about the differences. Some employers just don’t note the differences until they are sure an employee may be abusing one of the classifications. Here’s a 3-step process […]


Ask HR: Upholding our Call-in Policy

Dear HR, One of our new hires failed to follow appropriate call-in policy before missing work.  We are aware that they had a death in the family so want to be kind and help our employee through this tough period, but how do we do that while still upholding our company policies and procedures. HR Answer: Nothing is more frustrating to employers, supervisors, and other staff than when an employee fails to show up to […]


Employee Benefits in the 21st Century

The World of Employee Benefits is Evolving Employees usually say that the most important things they want in a job first and foremost is a good-paying wage, along with “benefits.” The most common form of employee benefit is basic health insurance – with dental and vision still being an optional offering. Health benefits are still the gold standard by which many prospective employees judge a prospective employer. In a tight labor market, an employer will […]


Ask HR: Employee with Cancer diagnoses.

Dear HR: My employee is being tested for cancer. While there is a definite cancer diagnoses – my employee’s doctors are still doing tests to see what course of treatment will be required. The employee is trying to be proactive and called me to find out about our company benefits. What benefits would apply… disability, medical leave, etc.? This is the first time I’ve had a seriously ill employee whose condition will definitely impact my […]


Weather and the Workplace

Employers need to be ready for weather-related incidents before they happen! Oregonians aren’t subject to dangerous hurricanes or tornadoes usually, except for this week’s Tornado watch in Portland, but many Oregonian business owners have had to contend with floods, fires, blizzards and ice storms—even earthquakes and tsunamis. Office closures in Oregon often revolve around dangerous road conditions due to ice, snow, fallen trees or downed power poles. These weather conditions can appear suddenly, and employers […]


DOES YOUR NEXT HIRE NEED TO HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE?

Study finds educational requirements are blocking 6.2 million workers from employment consideration. EXCERPT from Harvard Business Review“Why employers must stop requiring college degrees for middle-skill jobs.” When was the last time you looked over the educational requirements listed for a job you are hiring for? Does the job really require a high school or college degree? Or, could your company provide the proper training that could allow your next new hire to develop the necessary […]


Good Bye and Good Luck

A Simple Guide to final time, final checks and final good-byes! Remember when (oh, about 20 years ago, maybe?) the standard “good bye” that was expected from an employee was the “Two-Week Notice” that they were quitting? Then laws were passed – the Oregon “at will” employment law became the norm and voila! Both employee and employer can “leave at will” which translates to “gone at any moment” terminations or an employee’s quick phone call […]


Ask HR: Rules for Employing Minors?

Dear HR: I want to hire a 17-year-old that has already been working for me through a WorkSource GED program. The job duties include mowing, weed-whacking, gardening, fencing repair, painting, cleaning, etc. What are the rules I need to keep in mind when moving forward with hiring a minor? A. First, and most importantly, an Oregon employer who hires minors 14 through 17 years of age must apply to the Bureau of Labor and Industries […]


Employer Law Update: Retirement Plan

Details on Penalties for not having an employee retirement plan in place RECAP: On November 15, 2017, the OregonSaves plan  came into being mandating that all Oregon employers offer access to an employment retirement savings plan to all employees. Oregon employers are required to implement a state-run savings plan called OregonSaves if they do not offer their own employer-sponsored retirement plan. IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE: The deadline for compliance with this law is determined by the number […]