HR News

July 1st: Oregon Minimum Wage Increase

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Starting JULY 1, 2019 Oregon Minimum Wages are increasing as mandated by the State of Oregon. The July 1st deadline raises the Standard Rate Counties to $11.25 per hour, Portland Metro to $12.50 per hour, and Non-Urban Counties to $11.00 per hour. If you are unsure which County your Minimum Wage Rates falls into visit:www.cardinal-services.com/or-minimum-wage-rates Cardinal Clients do not have to worry—we will make these changes to your payroll automatically. However, if you wish to […]

Workplace Violence—Is your Company at Risk?

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20 Years of Statistics Show Incidents on the Rise It could happen anywhere and at any time. The FBI has been tracking workplace violence pertaining to armed incidents for 20 years—and the incidents are increasing. Two million cases of workplace violence are reported each year. Homicide is the 3rd leading cause of workplace deaths among healthcare workers and professional service providers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], workplace violence is a growing […]

“It’s all about Sick Time.”

This entry was posted in HR News and tagged Sick Time Law on

This month we’ve had numerous emails from Employers and employees about “sick time” – So we’re going to help you understand what it is and what it isn’t! What is “Sick Time”? By now, you’re probably sick of hearing the term “sick time”—but what does sick time actually refer to, and why should it matter to you? It might surprise you to know that there are no federal laws requiring or protecting paid sick time. […]

2019 Oregon Legislative Update

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New Business Tax? You might remember Measure 97, a gross receipts tax that Oregon voters overwhelming turned down in 2016?  This gross receipts  would have been levied on the business’s sales regardless if companies make a profit. The Oregon Legislature is going back to the idea of a gross receipts tax to plug our upcoming budget deficit.  There are several routes the Legislature may go: a restructured gross receipts tax; a business activity tax—which is […]

Looking for an Alternative to a Group Health Plan?

This entry was posted in HR News and tagged Affordable Care Act (ACA) Health Insurance on

Cardinal Services Now Offers a QSEHRA Plan Oregon employers now have another option to assist employees in paying for health coverage and other medical expenses. This new coverage option is called a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement. The catchy acronym, QSEHRA, is sometimes pronounced by saying the letter Q followed up with the name Sarah. While the original plan was rolled out at the national level in 2016, it took Oregon some time to […]

How Employers Can Reduce “No Call – No Show” Incidents

This entry was posted in HR News and tagged Employee Handbook on

Nothing is more frustrating to employers, supervisors, HR managers and staff than when an employee fails to show up to work!  The immediate effects are obvious – it impacts the day’s work flow, burdens co-workers, puts extra work on the supervisor to determine cause and always, always affects the bottom line of an employer’s profits. It is easy to cast blame on the employee for not notifying the employer.  For many companies, failure to “call […]

What Employers Need to Know about Veterans Day

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Veterans Day is Sunday, November 11th –   Request for Veterans Day Off: Employees who are veterans (as defined by Oregon law) and are scheduled to work on Veterans Day, may ask for that day off. These employees must provide 21 days’ prior notice of their intent to take that day off by October 21, 2018, and document their status as a qualifying veteran.   Request Consideration Upon receipt of this request, an employer must […]

Ask HR: Transitioning from Hourly to Salary.

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Dear HR, I am trying to move an employee from hourly to salary pay but unsure how to make that transition. Is it possible to pay them a salary if they work under 50 hours a week, and hourly if they work over 50 hours a week?   HR Answer: This is a complex question and has many exceptions to your desired request! Paying an employee a “salary” does not necessarily mean they are exempt […]

What is Co-Employment?

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What is Co-Employment? Co-Employment is simply dividing up responsibility between the onsite employer and a professional employment services provider like Cardinal. As your “co-employer,” we pay the employee taxes and process employee paychecks which include tracking PTO, sick leave, and other information to keep you compliant with labor regulations.   But if I co-employ with you, am I still the boss? Am I still the one making decisions about my employees? According to employment law, […]

Get a handle on high-employee turnover.

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Besides the obvious factors … low pay, or that the work you offer may be “undesirable” (cleaning sewers), let’s look at what current statistics and surveys tell us.  Employee retention is a complex topic but the complaints are startling in that they have stayed the same for the last 20 years!   According to Forbes and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Labor, the top 10 reasons employees leave are The company does NOT view employees […]