Time is a precious commodity; a commodity that employers always need in abundance, but have difficulty managing efficiently. Even for the most organized business owner, there are never enough hours in the day to complete what’s on the agenda. So the solution is simple; create more available hours. MORE HOURS IN YOUR DAY Although extending the hours in a day is not possible, you can add more available hours to your day by restructuring […]
Employees are an often overlooked investment, one which requires regular maintenance to keep them in “good working order.” Competitive pay and benefits is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to keeping your employees engaged and satisfied in their jobs. How do you maintain your investment? Consider creating an employee retention program. Studies show that employers benefit from strong employee retention programs. An effective employee retention program saves you time and money by […]
What about employee’s that work for family? ‘Employee’ does not include – an individual employed by that individual’s parent, spouse or child. What if the ‘Employer’ fluctuates between less than 10 and more than 10 throughout the year? They have a minimum look back period of 20 weeks. There are special provisions for new employers who may not have been in business for 20 weeks. Connect them with HR for more clarification. Can […]
The IRS announced beginning January 1, 2016 that the business standard mileage rate will be 54 cents per mile. This rate is down from the 2015 rate of 57.5 cents-per-mile. Contact Cardinal Services to let us know what mileage rate you’d like to offer your employees in 2016 so we can be sure to make the change effective for travel on or after January 1st. Note: The standard mileage rate for operating a passenger car […]
With 2016 quickly approaching, now is a good time to put together your policy in response to the new Oregon sick leave law which goes into effect on January 1, 2016. Certainly do not wait until the holidays then scramble to put a plan in place between Christmas and New Year’s Eve!
To Ask, or Not to Ask – Soon There Will be No Question! New “Ban the Box” Law Prohibits Asking an Applicants to Reveal Their Criminal History The new “Ban the Box” law (Oregon HB 3025) will take effect on January 1, 2016. What exactly is the “Ban the Box” law, and what will this mean for employers? The “Ban the Box” law restricts the timing of when an employer may ask about […]
Oregon’s minimum wage will hold at $9.25-per-hour in 2016. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian announced that the 2016 Oregon minimum wage will remain unchanged. The wage is re-calculated each year due to a state law passed by voters in 2002 that ties it to inflation, which for this year, was almost unchanged. Watch out for scare tactics: Employers may receive marketing materiel indicating they may be out of compliance. This is an attempt to scare employers […]
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued proposed rules on the salary test for employees that are exempt from overtime requirements. Exempt employees must be paid regardless of how much or how little work they performed in a day. The current minimum salary of an exempt employee is at least $455 per week. There are other requirements for an employee to be exempt such as the type of work. A good resource is […]
The Pros and Cons of categorizing your employees’ Vacation Policy as Sick Leave. The Oregon Sick leave law allows employers to use an alternative type of leave policy in lieu of a sick leave policy. The leave law states that if you have a different leave policy that is at least as generous as the sick leave law requirements, then the alternate policy may be substituted. Many employers have been rolling sick leave and […]
Plan Ahead – Lock in 2015 Health Insurance Prices for most of 2016. If you are a small business owner who offers your employees health insurance, or you have looked into offering coverage, you know that health insurance premiums have a bad habit of only going up and shopping for insurance can be difficult. In prior years you had to compare pricing of health insurance Company A to health insurance Company B while trying to […]
