GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

The Employer Associations of America’s 2020 National Business Trends Survey shares information on what executives are doing to address the changing business climate. 2020 is right around the corner and now is the time to plan smart!

Does your workplace see empathy and sensitivity as a strength or a weakness? Our experience is that workplaces send clear messages, intentionally or unintentionally, about the importance of developing these skills.

While the Behavioral Assessment is a fantastic coaching and professional development tool, it can also be used with PI’s Job Assessment to ensure that organizations hire individuals that are a natural fit for the role they need to fill. And with the Cognitive Assessment, a tool that measures how quickly someone learns, PI makes it much more likely that people will be successful (and stay longer!) in their new roles.

Nonprofits 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. Nonprofits typically have a Board of Directors who have a financial responsibility when setting executive pay to ensure that it is fair and reasonable. This poses an ongoing challenge for many boards who are trying to be reasonable while either recruiting for top/key talent or retaining qualified and knowledgeable Executive Directors in nonprofits where the area of expertise is oftentimes very specialized.

You’ve probably heard the one about the airline pilot who announced to his passengers the good news and bad news about their trip. Bad news – “We are lost.” Good news – “We are making very good time.”

For 50 years, this Portland area nonprofit has delivered life-saving and life-changing assistance to some of the City’s most vulnerable residents. Did you know…

At Cascade, we believe deliberate recognition is a sign of a great employer. And when a great employer gets recognized for being outstanding, we’d like to take a moment to congratulate them!

From grapes to olives, to their award-winning end products, this 5th generation family farm leads the industry with a trailblazing spirit. Did you know…

As President of the Oregon Organization Development Network, as a former labor and employment law attorney, and as current columnist for SHRM, “Putting Humanity Into HR Compliance,” I am especially excited about this opportunity for HR professionals to learn OD fundamentals:

Where does the salary market data you are using come from? Are the companies that participate in the data comparable to your organization? Who compiled the data and audited it for accuracy? When was the data pulled? All of these and more should be questions asked when using salary market data to inform your organizational pay practices.

Near panic, I began listing all the projects I had been in charge of over the years. Our instructor had suggested we review just how common project management is by creating a historical record of our own projects. Pen to paper, I was grinding out a history of, at best, mixed results. One pattern emerged, however: that of getting better over time and learning from mistakes.

Housed in one of McMinnville’s oldest industrial/commercial buildings, and with tangible reminders of the City’s agricultural beginnings, this Cascade member provides a shopping experience that sets you back in time. Did you know…

Cascade Employers Association is pleased to present key findings from the 2019 Nonprofit Pay and Benefits Survey report. Cascade’s Nonprofit Pay and Benefits survey is comprised of over 250 job descriptions and 100 benefit-related questions. This survey provides in-depth market pay and benefit data stemming from nonprofit organizations throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington.

With a mission to create the highest quality herbal extracts available, this southern Oregon company is committed to educating people on how to practice safe, effective herbalism. Did you know…

With some of the lowest unemployment rates in history, the job market is a highly competitive one. This competitive market can increase confidence among workers about changing jobs. With wages continuously increasing due to the tight labor market, it is imperative to ensure that companies are paying market competitively to retain and attract top talent.

Whoever coined the phrase “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” obviously knew something about the power of human determination, and perhaps knew the “founding mothers” of Willamette Humane Society. Did you know…

Gallup’s Q12, a twelve question survey administered to employees to measure engagement, has been around since 1996. Since that time tens of millions of employees from 195 countries have taken it. Every single question focuses on managerial or team soft skills rather than salary or benefits.

This Tillamook, Oregon employer produces over 100 varieties of top quality meat snacks, trail mixes, roasted nuts and candies. 

In an ongoing effort to provide valuable, relevant, and comprehensive market wage data within the Oregon Regional Pay Survey, Cascade is excited to share a few recent survey changes.

Nudges are a small feature in the environment that attracts our attention and influences our behavior. Nudges are everywhere.

With small and large group health insurance premiums continuing to rise, savvy employers look for ways to control costs while maintaining benefit value for their employees.

Conflict. Just the word itself is enough to make many of us feel uncomfortable. It conjures images of yelling, hurt feelings and damaged relationships. However, not all conflict is bad.