Dear HR: We decided to give each of our staff an extra two days of paid time off (PTO) to use around the holidays this year. These two days are in addition to the 14 they normally receive to use throughout the year. This is something we have never done before, and we want to be fair to our staff. We value our staff and appreciate all their hard work this year, so we want […]
Santa Claus. Some of us dress like him. Many of us have even sat on his lap. Almost all of us have seen him—and in the coming month, he’ll be everywhere during this time of year. He’s BIG. He also evokes a range of emotions in our diverse culture. Some people fondly recall memories of family holiday celebrations with the big man while others are focused on the religious meaning of the holiday season. For […]
Dear HR: I am moving an employee into a full time Operation Manager’s position and the employee will no longer do any field work. I will be paying him a salary and he will be supervising three employees and be able to make recommendations on hiring and terminating employees. Does this make him an “exempt” employee now? HR Answer: It depends upon the salary amount you intend to pay your employee. There are exemptions […]
Dear HR: My deli cook is not documenting proper food temperatures and “use by” times for perishable food items that are sold to the public. She has failed to do it every week, and I have gone over this procedure with her multiple times. This is a major health violation and I could be liable for big fines and be shut down, putting public health and my company at risk. I have given a written […]
The Latest in Paid Time Off Trends Unlimited PTO is just as it sounds, unlimited. Of course, nothing panics supervisors or management more than the thought of employees spontaneously choosing NOT to work! Unlimited PTO should be thought of as scheduled vacation time. Time off for vacations is planned and scheduled with a supervisor’s buy-in. If the employee has to complete a project by a deadline, then their vacation is planned around that need with […]
Dear HR: My company is working towards improving ergonomics with the goal that nearly everyone will eventually have a sit/stand desk. At this point, we provide these special desks a few at a time, as budget allows. We are currently distributing these desks in order of seniority, but we are also including anyone that has made us aware of any physical issue that would be helped by the sit/stand option. We are noticing a trend […]
One of the most common complaints that lead to lawsuits against employers is the lack of adequate meal and rest breaks for employees. Wage and hour laws regulate basic working conditions such as meals and rest breaks. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure supervisors are knowledgeable of these workplace wage and hour rules. Well-intentioned employers who are NOT enforcing these rules are far more likely to have an employee file an employment-related […]
Dear HR, Did Oregon’s manufacturing overtime rule change this year? I thought I saw a change last year for manufacturing that required both daily and weekly overtime. My question is—would four 10-hour shifts per week require any overtime pay? HR Answer: The previous interpretation of the law by BOLI required the payment of overtime to manufacturing employees for BOTH daily and weekly overtime hours worked. Effective in August 2017, manufacturing employers should calculate overtime […]
Dear HR, My employee has been bragging to co-workers about getting a speeding ticket and a cell phone ticket recently. Our company insurance policy states that: No employee between ages 18-25 shall have more than one driving infraction within three years No employee age 25 and older shall have two or more driving infractions within three years. Under our policy, my employee may no longer be insurable (for the next three years) if he really […]
Dear HR, My employee has been here about 60 days now and I can honestly say that his skill set is not much higher than the day we hired him. We really like him, his attendance is good, he is punctual, he seems to like working here, but I cannot justify his pay rate. He is very slow and has very low learning curve even on basic tasks for our industry. His foreman is really […]
