GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

The ever-dreaded “brain drain” may be upon you. A long-time employee who has contributed so much to the success of your organization is about to retire and take with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise.

You have heard about it. Stressed about it. Maybe even cried about it. Let’s put it all in perspective and for the sake of time and, let’s be honest, sanity, I present the Cliffs Notes version.

For today’s organizations, the problem of how to effectively recruit, motivate, and retain employees is becoming an increasingly important issue.

OregonSaves, a new state-sponsored retirement plan, according to the State Treasurer’s office, it could assist up to 1 million Oregon employees in their efforts to save for their future.

Hybrid jobs, or “blended jobs,” are typically unique to a particular organization, specialized industry or smaller organization and include a variety of functions and responsibilities.

Human Resources exists to maximize the productivity of an organization by optimizing the effectiveness of its employees. Employee effectiveness is optimized when employees are engaged.

Non-profits face many unique challenges when establishing executive compensation which oftentimes deals with issues like regulatory compliance, board governance, limited budgets and equitable pay across the organization.

One critical factor of compensation administration that is often overlooked by employers is compliance with various employment laws. Employment laws often tie to compensation and create boundaries for acceptable employment practices and employee rights.

Compensation is a vital instrument used by company management to advance business needs, goals and missions, and the workforce of an organization.

Because nonprofits oftentimes are constrained by limited financial resources, employee salaries are typically lower than average compared to what you might find in the general industry. That being said, nonprofits are still a business and need to attract and retain top talent.

I have recently been getting questions from organizations that have already established wage ranges, asking how the new exemption rules may affect their exempt level employees. The issue concerns situations when the range minimum doesn’t meet the new threshold, and there is a blend of employees who are classified as exempt and nonexempt included in these ranges.

With the impending Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) changes effective December 1, I regularly get the question “what are other employers doing?” Survey results from a recent study on the Implementation of New FLSA Rules conducted by WorldatWork of 948 U.S. employers nationwide are consistent with the conversations that I have been having locally.

There seems to be some confusion around the question of what is a pay study vs. what is a pay survey. During a time when compensation-related issues are extremely challenging, I thought it was a good opportunity to explain the unique elements that make a pay study a study, and a pay survey a survey.

In March of 2016, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 1532, enacting the nation’s first geographically-tiered minimum wage law. Effective July 1, 2016, the law increases minimum wage levels over a six-year period. It will impact more than 100,000 low income workers throughout Oregon in its first year.

The Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has published an updated minimum wage poster that employers are required to post when the new minimum wage law takes effect on July 1, 2016. As a reminder, this poster must be posted in a conspicuous location where all employees can view it.

Start the New Year off right with a quick check of your compensation practices to make sure they are competitive, attractive and equitable, and to ensure you are on the right track.

You hit it . . . the maximum of a pay range! Now what? When I get this question (and lately it seems like a lot) I have a few questions that I need answered.

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.

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.

Question: Can I pay for my employee’s individual health insurance plan outside of our normal group coverage?

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries has announced that the state’s minimum wage will increase by 37 cents to $9.04 per hour starting January 1, 2012.

Issue: Many of your employees have taken out loans from their 401(k) plan accounts in the last few years. You have a rather large downsizing of employment coming up.