The Oregon Legislative has only been in session for a few months and already there has been quite a bit of activity in the labor law category. Let’s begin by reviewing the widely anticipated bills such as Paid Sick Leave and an increased Minimum Wage, which likely will end up on the Governor’s desk, then move on to the unexpected in this legislative update.
This year the Employer Mandate went into effect. The Employer Mandate is a $2,000 tax per employee per year on large employers that do not provide a group health plan. In 2015 a large employer is one that has 100 or more employees – get help calculating your employee count– and in 2016 that number drops to 50 employees.
Just because you are paying an employee a salary does not make that employee ineligible for overtime. It is important to correctly distinguish whether the employee is exempt vs non exempt from wage regulations that cover overtime. The employer’s method of payment such as hourly, salary, or commission, is only one element of the exempt classification. What are FLSA regulations? The Fair Labor Standards Act, or the FLSA, established federal minimum wage and federal […]
Sure everyone thinks about New Years Resolutions but what about your Business New Years Resolutions? Here’s a checklist to get you thinking about how to better tone up your company this year: Get a HR checkup – This is a proactive approach to ensure the legal compliance and effectiveness of your entire HR program before a crisis happens. Ask our HR experts for a consultation! Review and update Employee Handbook – We recommend this be […]
‘Tis the season for Holiday Parties You want to get your employees together for a bit of holiday fun — but how can you share some holiday cheer without opening yourself up to potential liabilities. The Do’s and Don’ts for successful & safe company parties: DO – Set a tone of moderation before holiday parties through interoffice memos or meetings, reminding employees to be responsible. DON’T – Require employees to attend as a condition of […]
Cardinal sent out an email alert on November 7, 2014 regarding Oregon Ballot Initiate 91, which decriminalized recreational marijuana. In the alert, we advised reviewing your DRUG TESTING policies and following some suggested best practices. This article focuses on best practices surrounding post-incident drug testing. Before we delve too deep, let us review what usually happens. Often an employee reports that they have been injured and files a workers’ compensation claim. That triggers paperwork, an […]
Ballot Measure 91 Passed. Now What? On November 4, 2014, Oregon voters passed Ballot Measure 91, legalizing the non-medical possession and use of marijuana for adults age 21 and older. The law goes into effect July 1, 2015. See Oregon: Recreational Marijuana FAQ
Open Enrollment begins on November 15, 2014 – Open enrollment for individuals begins on November 15, 2014 and is open until February 15, 2015. During open enrollment individuals may buy a health insurance plan from the exchange for the first time or shop around for a different plan. Once purchased, the new plan can go into effect in as little as 30 days. In reviewing the CoverOregon.com website it appears that individuals shopping for private health […]
Employees who are veterans as defined by Oregon law and are scheduled to work on Veterans Day may ask for that day off. They must provide 21 days’ notice of their intent to take the day off and document their status as a qualifying veteran. Upon receipt of the request, an employer must determine whether providing the time off would cause “significant economic or operational disruption,” or whether allowing time off is an “undue hardship” […]
What to expect. Have an Employee Handbook? – You need one!Employee handbooks are the perfect place to outline all of your company policies as well as benefits. This lets employees know what to expect from your company and what you expect from them. Policies covering anything from dress code to social media use can be discussed amongst management and documented in writing; that way when issues do pop up you won’t have to skip a […]
