GreatWork Blog

Building better workplaces through compliance, culture, connection

It’s not just the leaves changing this fall; business and workplace environments are also experiencing change at a faster pace than normal. We know you’re feeling it and uncertainty seems to be the theme of the season.

It’s not all gloomy like our upcoming Oregon weather, but there are some trends worth watching closely. Here are a few that stand out and some suggestions about what you can do.

Self-auditing I-9s has become a high priority for 2025, as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is increasing the number of I-9 audits conducted. A self-audit of Form I-9s is an internal review of I-9s to identify and correct errors or compliance issues. If you have not yet conducted a self-audit, or if it has been several years since you have done so, it’s highly recommended that you do that now. Identifying and correcting mistakes prior to an ICE audit can help you avoid penalties, which can be based on the number of violations found during the audit.

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.

Last month during Member Appreciation Month, Cascade members experienced a great virtual session on the best practices to avoid employment lawsuits presented by Randy Sutton, a partner with Saalfeld Griggs Business Lawyers. At one point, Randy referred to the “paranoid lawyer” and followed up with a list of actions in the workplace that create unnecessary risk and make it easier for a plaintiff to prove pretext.

The Oregon Legislature passed several employment related bills this session. Many of these will take effect at the beginning of 2022, but some were passed by emergency order, meaning they’ve already taken effect.