GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

If you haven’t heard of Bridgeway, I’d like to introduce you. This Salem-based nonprofit is a new kind of drug rehabilitation center that serves people just like you and me. 

In the last blog I emphasized that for training to gain traction it takes management support both before and after, and the trainer’s connection well before the event. So how do we get trainees to commit to any change suggested in the training content?

Most organizations value training classes but don’t know how to make them successful. They assume that hiring a popular trainer and getting positive reactions to the training is the best measure of success. If you are content with a C level of training, that is okay. But if you want to earn an “A” for excellence in training, sorry, it’s more complicated than that.

You would never guess from the fabulous tastes and textures of the So Delicious® products that they’re dairy and gluten free. This Eugene-based employer has been making high-quality yummy products for over 25 years. 

One of my strengths is that I’m a learner. I’m always after new information or ideas and dedicate time each day to read and learn something new. It helps me feel focused and energized. Thank goodness I also have a job that allows (and really requires) me to constantly be in learning mode.

We are fairly flexible people around here. Why use words that are in the dictionary when you can make up your own? Several times this year in the midst of team and leadership discussions, participants have used words or phrases that, we are pretty sure, are not part of the English language. 

What? How can my awesomeness be a problem? My awesomeness is awesome. It is the other guy’s lack of awesomeness that is the problem.

The timing is perfect for this featured Cascade member, Tec Labs. With summer upon us, this over-the-counter pharmaceutical manufacturer has you covered in more ways than you may know.

Moving employees to higher levels of engagement is usually a gradual process. Despite what themes from Hollywood movies suggest, movement into maturity and engagement does not happen in an hour and three-quarters (…with all of us living happily ever after). Movement along the engagement continuum takes time and investment.

Boyd Coffee Company’s history is full of “firsts.” Did you know…

With the 2016 presidential race beginning to heat up, employees may be more likely to engage in political conversations at work. Politics is a topic that people have very strong and divided feelings about and have great potential to offend and divide the workplace. While such talk is not illegal per se, many political topics involve protected class issues such as race, age, gender, and religion which do create legal implications. A good rule of thumb: keep it out of the workplace.

Through Cascade’s alliance with the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), we are excited to share with you this free eBook, The Rise of HR: Wisdom from 73 Thought Leaders, led by Dave Ulrich, Bill Schiemann, Libby Sartain and sponsored by HRCI.

Kingsford Manufacturing has an interesting history, one of which many of us may not be aware.

We can’t believe it’s already Spring either, but it’s here and so now is the perfect time to go through the Spring Cleaning checklist for your business.

This Sunday is Daylight Savings Time. While it might not seem obvious, this change can impact wages for non-exempt employees, particularly those on the graveyard shift.

Now you get our Blogs, but do you follow us @cascademployers on Twitter? If not, you’ll want to! Our Tweets will help keep you in the loop on important employment law changes, trends and more.

Are you a dedicated Cascade Employers Association member? No one is better qualified to share the benefits of a membership than you. Here’s your chance to spread the word about HR support for Oregon and Southwest Washington employers. Not only can you help a colleague’s business, but you are rewarded as well!

There is a bounty of information on the definition of employee engagement and what it looks like in the general sense, but what does it really look like? Through my very own eyeballs, what will I see? When I work with employers on employee engagement, I start with three basic statements. I ask them to write down their responses alone. No talking. And I begin observing them.

We did it again. Cascade Employers Association has just earned recertification for the coveted EarthWISE Certification from Marion County. What’s an EarthWISE Certification and Why Does it Matter?

There are many legitimate reasons why it may be difficult to participate in pay surveys. Yes, they are often times long and they take time out of our already busy schedules to complete.

We all have them. Weaknesses, that is. Things we just are not good at. Skillful managers put themselves and their employees in positions that maximize our strength zone so that these weaknesses become irrelevant—they just don’t matter anymore. 

Employee relations has a reputation for being a catch all for anything HR related. I agree there is a lot that is included under the umbrella of employee relations, but I also believe it’s really only about three VERY IMPORTANT things: relationships, meaningful work and strengths.

Now that certain industries are seeing some recovery from the economic downturn, from a human resource perspective there is one big mistake that is proving to be a key differentiating factor between a successful recovery and continued struggle. 

You know how much employees enjoy holidays off … especially when they get paid for them. So, to help you determine if your holiday practices are competitive, Cascade Employers Association just conducted a Holiday Practices Survey to provide you with valuable insights regarding the remaining 2013 and all 2014 holiday practices for employers in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

According to research conducted by the Families and Work Institute (FWI), providing workplace flexibility improves business results.  Workplace flexibility (or workflex as they often call it) matters to all employees to some degree. 

Ethics is rarely discussed unless we are being scolded or threatened by litigation, but ethics has to do with being a great place to work and gaining commitment from employees because they trust managers and other co-workers and they care about doing the right thing. Trust comes from knowing that, while mistakes may be made, decisions and actions are based on values and ethics.

If you’ve been thinking about developing an Employee Supervision Handbook, now is the time and Cascade will help. Our model is designed to make the development and implementation of your own Employee Supervision Handbook quick and painless. 

As human beings we are challenged every day. Sometimes really bad things happen. Perhaps you’ve been fired or abused or treated unfairly or injured severely. You can place blame or whine, seek revenge or play the victim – or you can be resilient, problem solve, see the upside of change and bounce back stronger than before. Is this merely a Pollyanna-style philosophy? Maybe, if you are pretending that there is no injustice or pain. But while some jump into a victim role and want others to suffer right along with them, those who think win-win and make the best of their situations end up better off.

We are hard wired to focus on threats, things that might put us in danger and things that are wrong.  Unfortunately, that wiring does us a disservice is some situations because it pulls away our focus from what’s right.  

When struggling big box retailer Best Buy followed in the footsteps of Yahoo! Inc. by altering its telecommuting policies for employees, some undoubtedly concluded that there would soon be a flood of companies doing the same. However, a new survey indicates that Best Buy may be in the minority, with the overwhelming percentage of companies planning to maintain their telecommuting policies.