A little thoughtfulness and sensitivity go a long way to preventing HR mishaps! The holiday season is a time when business owners want to reward their employees with something a little extra. Besides a holiday bonus, giving that “little something extra” often takes the form of parties and gifts. But beware! Holiday gift-giving can quickly become an unintentional HR issue –so now is NOT the time to dismiss the idea of being politically correct. To […]
Dear HR, We are going to be laying off employees sporadically throughout the winter. We won’t be able to predict precisely when because our business is weather and road condition related. How can we be responsible employers and let our staff know? Are there any details we need to consider? HR Answer, Giving advance notice provides employees and their families time to transition and adjust to the prospective loss of employment may be legally required. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Effective July 1, 2019 The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries has updated the minimum wage posting to show the new Oregon rates that take effect on July 1st. All employers with at least one employee must display this revised posting in a conspicuous location at each of their worksites. Oregon also revised the Oregon Family Leave Act and Domestic Violence posters. Failure to keep these postings compliant and up-to-date may result in a government […]