GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

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. 

Does your work culture allow for this kind of statement (or something like it?) in your team conversations? Is the acknowledgment of a misstep swept beneath the rug or brought out into the light for proper inspection?

This year, the Oregon State Legislature had a short legislative session. Here is the status of the following employment bills at the conclusion of the session.

Since its inception in 1965, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has worked to ensure that employees are treated fairly in the workplace. As leaders in HR, you have a lot of plates spinning, and taking the time to read the monthly EEOC newsletter might not make it to the top of your priorities list. Now you can keep up with the EEOC YouTube channel.

Did you know that each month Cascade is conducting an HR Trends survey based on current workplace issues or trends that are important to our members? 

We know from emerging science and neural research that unconscious patterns develop in our brains that organize information and perceptions. These patterns affect our attitudes and actions even though we aren’t aware of them. And while these patterns are implicit, they create real-world implications.

It seems like every other conversation I have is around something to do with stress: workplace stress, personal stress, financial stress, legal stress, the effect of stress on productivity, the effect of stress on personal health, the effect of stress on, well, you name it.  For employers, the effects of stress on their workforce can lead to increased absenteeism and medical costs, and more. 

Perhaps it has crossed your mind once or twice to just throw a sucker punch at that difficult person in your life—you’re not alone. After all, it is their fault, isn’t it? They are the difficult one and getting them out of the equation should solve the problem. Not so fast.

For decades, workplaces have been using the Gallup Q-12 to inform their assessment of workplace engagement. What is the Q-12? Well, it’s 12 important statements covering everything from clear workplace expectations to materials and equipment to being recognized. These 12 actionable workplace elements offer proven links to performance outcomes. Simply put, the 12 statements answered affirmatively correlate highly with strong employee engagement; answered negatively correlate highly with poor employee engagement.

As we alerted earlier this month, no later than March 31, Oregon will lift its mask mandate for indoor public places. You may recall June of 2021 when it was announced that all COVID-19 restrictions would be lifted, only to have them re-imposed again at the end of July. All of this may have you wondering what will happen this time. You’ve been through this before, right?! Here are few things to keep in mind once restrictions are lifted.

Black History is not an “important event” or an “occasion.” Black history is intertwined and woven into the fabric of American History. Black history is not an addition to American history. The contributions of Black Americans should not be seen as a unique event. While the intent of Black History Month is to honor the contributions of Black Americans, the impact is trivialization. There is no “celebration” that can capture the contributions and experiences of Black Americans to this society. 

While social distancing these days refers mostly to the physical distance we maintain, workplaces have always been a place where the navigation through emotional and personal distancing is often challenging. We are encouraged to establish close and caring relationships with our coworkers and somehow keep a professional “fence” up in certain areas. For some employees, navigating through these “professional boundary” territories is tough and guidelines are often unclear.

2022 is here, and with it, a new round of surveys! Download our new survey calendar for the year, which includes estimates for launch dates, close dates, when reports will be available, and pricing. Explore our survey website for more information on all the amazing surveys we offer.

The 2021-22 National Wage & Salary Survey report is now available for purchase! A great source of national data for 151 positions across the United States, this report is another valuable resource for HR and compensation professionals in organizations with multiple locations or recruiters searching nationally.

Many employers, due to various factors in recent times, have started considering starting wage levels at a living wage rather than minimum wage. A living wage is the amount an individual or family would need to make to avoid living in poverty. 

On January 17, 2022, our nation will recognize and honor the life and birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It has been 53 years since we last heard him speak the night of April 3, 1968, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee. On the following day, King was assassinated at the age of 39. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I will continuously work this year to continue to spread his message and make his dream a reality. Will you join me?

With the onset of a global pandemic, organizations are using video conferencing now, more than ever. With this new reality there’s also an issue happening beneath the surface with platforms like Zoom, Teams and Skype beyond stress and mental health that’s affecting its users. If not addressed properly, these platforms can become settings for unconscious bias. Here are 5 ways to discourage unconscious bias in virtual meetings.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has updated its COVID-19 technical assistance to include more information about employer retaliation in pandemic-related employment situations. The updates explain and clarify the rights of employees and job applicants who believe they suffered retaliation for protected activities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, or other employment discrimination laws. 

Earlier this year, Oregon passed House Bill (HB2474), updating eligibility language for the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA). Beginning January 1, 2022, additions will be made to OFLA eligibility requirements.

Recently, a federal judge in Georgia issued a nationwide injunction preventing the enforcement of the Federal Contractor COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate.

The 2022 National Business Trends Survey is now available! This national survey is run each year by Cascade in partnership with the Employer Associations of America (EAA), collecting executives’ feedback and thoughts on the current and upcoming business year and trends. This year’s survey had 1,216 participating organization from all 50 states.

For years we have been applying models in our leadership trainings of direct and honest communication with the intent of improving workplace collaboration. Here are a few examples of how we sometimes misapply the models and create negative ripples; more harm than good.

Happy Holidays! What does this mean for the workplace? For some, it means stress, but work shouldn’t be adding to it. A few things to think about during the holiday season, including holiday parties, gift giving and time-off requests. 

Globally, the pandemic has fueled increased economic insecurity for women and girls, and in far too many places—including, far too often, here in America—their fundamental rights remain at risk. Recently, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a statement affirming their contribution to the White House’s National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. The strategy identified ten priorities. 

One of the many lasting cultural shifts to come from the COVID-19 pandemic is the flexibility for many employees to work remotely. What once was thought to be a temporary assignment, now appears to be here to stay. The next question comes, how will you compensate those employees located in different areas?  

Changing our clocks back an hour means we gain an hour of sleep (or fun) that night, but what does it mean for employers?

On September 9th, President Biden announced an Executive Order requiring all eligible contractors and subcontractors to mandate COVID-19 vaccines without the option for weekly testing, except for religious and medical exemptions. On September 24th, the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force issued guidance regarding this mandate.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced it is extending its remote I-9 verification rule through December 31, 2021. Because of ongoing precautions related to COVID-19, DHS has extended the Form I-9 flexibility policy until December 31, 2021.

On October 18, the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and K-12 school staff will take effect. Find out what this means for healthcare providers and healthcare staff and K-12 school staff.

As the vaccine mandates continue to grow for organizations, let's look at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)'s guidelines regarding religious discrimination in the workplace.