HR News


Good Bye and Good Luck

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 […]


Employer Law Update: Retirement Plan

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 […]


Mandatory Oregon Posting Change

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 […]


July 1st: Oregon Minimum Wage Increase

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?

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 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

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?

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

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 […]


NEW Oregon W-4 form

Oregon’s Department of Revenue has released the Oregon Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, Form OR-W-4, for employers to provide to their employees anytime Federal Form W-4 is provided. 2019 Oregon W-4 2019 Federal W-4 Effective January 1, 2019 employees will complete both the federal Form W-4, and the new Oregon Form OR-W-4 to ensure adequate allowances are claimed for federal and state purposes. Existing employees will NOT be required to complete the new form, unless they […]