HR News

Oregon school closures & parental sick leave

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Client questions on Oregon school closures & parental sick leave – the Oregon Sick Leave Law does apply to public health emergencies! Gov. Kate Brown has announced that all K-12 public schools in the state of Oregon will be closed Monday, March 16th through Tuesday, March 31st, in an effort to slow the spread of Coronavirus. The school closure announcement comes just after Gov. Brown’s Executive Order #20-25, which prohibits large public gatherings with more […]

Oregon Labor Law covers the Coronavirus

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Oregon’s sick time law specifically covers absences during a public health emergency [Allows all employees to earn and use up to 40 hours of protected sick time each year.]  It is an unlawful employment practice to discipline and/or terminate and employee for using protected sick time.   Closure of the employee’s place of business, or the school or place of care of the employee’s child, by order of a public official due to a public […]

Is COVID-19 Negatively affecting your business?

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The Oregon business community has been asked to share how the current health crisis is impacting their businesses … In order to meet the threshold for federal small business assistance, Oregon businesses need to come forward and tell their story.   Please share any impacts COVID-19 and the rule changes associated with this crisis, have impacted your business. Please send your stories and examples of economic hardship to your local Chamber of Commerce.    https://www.oregonchamber.org/list/searchalpha/c     […]

Employer Update: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

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Here are some “safe practices” that can help you and your employees Cardinal Services acknowledges the worry and the many questions on employers’ minds with the arrival of the Coronavirus in the Pacific Northwest. We want to share some best practices that can help you and your employees during this ongoing health challenge. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Rules on “Safe Workplace” Under OSHA, employers do have a responsibility to maintain a safe workplace, […]

URGENT! UPDATE YOUR COMPANY HANDBOOK NOW

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New Oregon State & Fed Laws for 2020 are now in force! With employment laws rapidly changing and evolving, it is important for employers to annually review and revise their employee handbooks to ensure that their policies, practices, and procedures are compliant with federal, state, and local laws. The Hot List Does your current company handbook have the latest information on the following new Oregon laws and regulations that went into effect on January 1, […]

WORKPLACE SAFETY: Dialing 911

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Can Your Employees Call “911” directly from the company phone? If not, you are in violation of Kari’s Law! Multi-line phone systems must allow direct dialing to 911 and automatically notify a designated staff member.

When is “Harassment” NOT Harassment?

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Understanding the definitions of a Hostile Work Environment and Workplace Harassment HARASSMENT means different things in different settings to different people. People will often say they’re being harassed when they’re actually being pestered or bothered. At work, harassment has a specific legal meaning. It is recommended that those in the workplace, especially supervisors, reserve the word “harassment” for conduct that meets the specific legal definition. Here’s the definition:  Unwelcome conduct + bad behavior based on […]

Expanded Pregnancy-Related Accommodations

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Beginning January 1, 2020, Oregon employers with six or more employees must provide pregnant job seekers and employees with reasonable accommodations for a wider array of pregnancy related medical conditions. Under this new law, employers must provide reasonable accommodations for any known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, or related medical conditions. Some common accommodations include: Equipment or worksite modifications More frequent or longer breaks Assistance with manual labor Work schedule or job duty adjustments […]

W-4 Form Changes: Goodbye Exemptions

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The 2020 Form W-4 is very different from previous versions. This is due to the federal tax law changes that took place in 2018. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is not requiring all employees to complete the revised form and has designed the withholding tables so that they will work with both the new and prior year forms. Employees required to use the new form: Those hired in 2020 Anyone who makes withholding changes during […]