GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

Since its inception, Paid Leave Oregon has faced significant challenges, including delays in processing claims, technical issues, and fraud attempts. These problems have highlighted the program's shortcomings and the need for more effective solutions.

The 2024/25 Salary Budget Survey is here, and it is time to participate in Cascade’s annual salary increase survey!

While making a mistake at work can be a difficult and uncomfortable situation to navigate, it is something that people can overcome in most cases. Several years ago, completely by accident, I launched a process on the wrong day that touched thousands of users. The minute I did it I knew something was desperately wrong. My stomach hit the floor as dread completely paralyzed me. It was with great remorse that I took one of the longest walks of my professional life to my boss's office to throw myself on my sword and fess up. This was one of the biggest mistakes I have made in my professional life, but certainly not the only one. As human beings, it is likely we will all get ourselves in a pickle at least once in our professional careers and might need some help on how to recover. 

Pay compression is not one-size-fits-all and shows up in various situations. For example, pay compression can exist when: there is little to no difference between a new hire’s and a tenured employee’s salary in the same role; a manager is making only a little bit more than their direct report; or similar situations. In general, employers collectively don't want their employees to pay a “loyalty tax,” or be negatively rewarded for their loyalty and tenure without it being reflected in their compensation.

It is possible to administer merit increases and still comply with Oregon’s Equal Pay Law, but a strong performance management system is crucial. This system should establish clear, objective criteria to ensure consistent and fair evaluation for all employees. 

Goal setting is the cornerstone of progress. It's how we turn aspirations into achievements, both individually and collectively. But what if, in our pursuit of excellence, we inadvertently create a system that leaves some people behind? Traditional goal setting can often overlook the importance of inclusion and equity, leading to missed opportunities and a culture of disengagement.

COVID made a significant, far-reaching impact on many aspects of how we live and work in the modern age. Within this era of disruption, more and more companies are choosing or resorting to hiring employees who don’t come into an office, whether regularly or even at all.

We celebrated YOU, our members, through June with free webinars, contests, and prizes. Here are the winners!

Cascade thoughtfully leverages AI technology to improve productivity and efficiency of our work, expand our services, and enhance the experience of our members. By utilizing AI technology in this way, we can increase the speed in which we get information to you, improve your member benefits and resources, and make our content more engaging. Our use of AI technology is not replacing any staff, but rather our staff is using the technology to build capacity and improve how we serve our members. All content created using AI must meet our professional standards for work produced and is vetted by our team including fact-checking for accuracy.

Welcome to week three of Member Appreciation Month!

Our Membership Trivia activity is just one of many ways you can earn entries in our month-end drawings, including a Grand Prize of two nights lodging at the Oxford Hotel, a luxury lifestyle hotel in downtown Bend.

This is the final of four weekly trivia activities. All answers can be found on our website (just a bit of hunting involved). Good Luck!

Welcome to week three of Member Appreciation Month!

Our Membership Trivia activity is just one of many ways you can earn entries in our month-end drawings, including a Grand Prize of two nights lodging at the Oxford Hotel, a luxury lifestyle hotel in downtown Bend.

This is the third of four weekly trivia activities. All answers can be found on our website (just a bit of hunting involved). Good Luck!

Welcome to week two of Member Appreciation Month!

Our Membership Trivia activity is just one of many ways you can earn entries in our month-end drawings, including a Grand Prize of two nights lodging at the Oxford Hotel, a luxury lifestyle hotel in downtown Bend.

Welcome to week one of Member Appreciation Month!

Our Membership Trivia activity is just one of many ways you can earn entries in our month-end drawings, including a Grand Prize of two nights lodging at the Oxford Hotel, a luxury lifestyle hotel in downtown Bend.

Are you an Oregon or Washington employer looking to attract and retain top talent? In today's competitive job market, offering a strong benefits package is crucial. But how do you know if your benefits are keeping pace with industry standards?

Here's where our 2024 Northwest Employee Benefits Survey comes in!

Congratulations on your promotion to supervisor! Leading a team can be incredibly rewarding, but it also presents unique challenges, especially when you're now managing former colleagues or even friends.  At Cascade Employers Association, we understand that transition can be daunting. That's why we created a dynamic blended learning experience designed to empower you to excel in your new supervisory role.

“We can’t afford to give you a pay increase this year.”

“Your work performance hasn’t met expectations, so you aren’t receiving a salary increase this year.”

These are hard messages, both to deliver and receive. Many times, we keep constructive feedback, “bad news,” and other information to ourselves because we are concerned about navigating the potential reaction(s) others may have about what we share.

We ask ourselves questions like “will I make things worse?” or “what if it negatively affects our relationship?” Discomfort and challenging emotions can rise in the acute moment when the interaction occurs. In the long-term, it may be just the message they needed.

Salaried, hourly, non-exempt, exempt, salaried non-exempt, exempt hourly, goodness gracious!

These are common terms in the world of compensation, but what do they mean?

These phrases are used to explain the frequency and form of payment for work performed. Different combinations of exempt, non-exempt, salaried, and hourly can be partnered together based on the nature of the job’s duties. All in all, it can be very confusing!

Sometimes summer school isn’t such a bad thing.  We’re so excited that Cascade’s new Summer Training Catalog is here! While it may not feel like a vacation, taking the time to invest in your personal and professional development just might leave you feeling refreshed!

Shape the future of work by participating in Cascade’s second quarterly HR Trends Survey of 2024. This vital survey gathers insights on critical workplace issues impacting the workplace.

Perspective taking, the capacity to see the world from another person's viewpoint, has emerged as a crucial skill in creating inclusive and thriving work environments. This ability to see the world from another's viewpoint has far-reaching implications for success within diverse professional settings.

Equal Pay Day is the date in the year that symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men's and women's wages. This year, Equal Pay Day in the United States was on March 12, 2024, two days earlier than last year.

In the realm of professional development, the terms "coaching" and "mentoring" are frequently used interchangeably. While both practices involve supporting individuals in their personal and professional growth journeys, they differ significantly in several key aspects. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for leaders and individuals seeking to optimize their workplace experiences.

Wondering where Cascade’s Regional Pay Survey is? It’s been upgraded and replaced. We started this transition last fall and now is the time to participate in our new online compensation platform, Payscale Peer.

On February 27th, the Oregon State Legislature passed Senate Bill 1515A, which makes changes to Paid Leave Oregon (PLO) and the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). Governor Kotek is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

Since PLO went into effect, there has been a lot of overlap between PLO and OFLA, which has resulted in Oregon employees being able to stack leaves, amongst many other challenges and frustrations for employers. SB 1515A seeks to simplify and minimize such overlap by making several changes, including eliminating many provisions under OFLA.

While great strides have been made in the advancement of women, challenges remain. A 2023 Women in the Workplace report from McKinsey and LeanIn shows that representation of women has increased at the C-suite and senior executive levels from 17 to 28% since 2015. Unfortunately, however, progress is lagging at the manager and director levels. Without increased representation of women at lower levels of leadership, the pipeline will not support continued growth at the top.

Recently, there have been several articles published proclaiming that DEI training is not effective and doesn’t make a difference in the workplace. Some articles even state that diversity training can backfire, eliciting defensiveness from the very people who might benefit most. And even when the training is beneficial, the effects may not last after the training ends. Unfortunately, these articles only tell part of the story. I agree that DEI training can be very ineffective if It’s not done in the proper context. 

Cascade is excited to have successfully launched our new compensation platform Payscale Peer last fall and we are happy to announce our spring participation period is about to begin. If you’ve previously participated in Cascade’s Regional Pay survey, now is the time to register and submit your data for Payscale Peer as this replaces our Regional Pay Survey in 2024.

Total rewards, at a high level, divide into two categories:  1) direct compensation (i.e., salary), and 2) indirect compensation (i.e., benefits, schedule, training, development, etc.). These two pieces work together to provide rewards to employees for performing work on behalf of the organization, and ideally motivate them to continue working toward the organization's goals.

In the dynamic landscape of leadership, conflicts are inevitable. Whether it's differences in opinions, conflicting goals, or personal clashes, leaders must possess the skills to navigate disagreements with grace and finesse. Successful conflict resolution not only strengthens team cohesion but also fosters an environment of trust and productivity. In this article, we explore key strategies that leaders can employ to address conflicts effectively and maintain a harmonious work environment.