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The 2026 Labor Market: What’s Ahead for Employers Through Year-End
The 2026 Labor Market: What’s Ahead for Employers Through Year-End Posted by Margaret Oglesby, Compensation Consultant, on October 9, 2026 Tags: Compensation The U.S. labor market is entering the final months of 2026 with a more measured pace of employment growth, while wage growth and inflation continue to influence employer decisions. August brought a stronger…
Read MorePlan for 2027 with the National Business Trends Survey
Plan for 2027 with the National Business Trends Survey Posted by McKenna Arnold, Survey and Research Manager, on October 5, 2026 Tags: Surveys Cascade is partnering with the Employer Associations of America (EAA) to conduct the 2026–27 National Business Trends Survey. This nationwide survey captures national, regional, and local business trends, including business outlook, staffing…
Read MoreYour Questions About the All-Access Training Pass, Answered
Your Questions About the All-Access Training Pass, Answered Posted by Carolyn Culley MAEd, MS, Director of Learning and Development, on September 28, 2026 Tags: Training Since the Cascade All-Access Training Pass launched, members have been asking good questions. How does it work? Who should get one? Is it the right fit for our organization? The…
Read MorePregnancy Disability and Parental Leave in the Era of OFLA, FMLA, and PLO
Pregnancy Disability and Parental Leave in the Era of OFLA, FMLA, and PLO Posted by Cascade Compliance Team on September 21, 2026 Tags: Compliance, Leave Laws Over the past few years, protected leaves have changed significantly in Oregon. Prior to 2023, employers only had to administer the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) and Federal Medical…
Read MoreUnderstanding Pay Compression: What Employers Need to Know
Understanding Pay Compression: What Employers Need to Know Posted by Margaret Oglesby, Compensation Consultant, on September 14, 2026 Tags: Compensation As labor markets continue to evolve, organizations are making compensation decisions in response to changing economic conditions, market movement, hiring demands, and employee expectations. While these decisions are often necessary, they can also create unintended…
Read MoreLeading Through Change Fatigue: Practical Strategies for Today’s Leaders
Leading Through Change Fatigue: Practical Strategies for Today’s Leaders Posted by Carolyn Culley, Director of Learning and Development, on August 31, 2026 Tags: Leadership Do you ever feel like the minute you finally get comfortable with the way things are, everything changes again? You settle into a routine, your team finds its rhythm, and then…
Read MoreWhen Employee Protections and Corrective Action Collide
When Employee Protections and Corrective Action Collide Posted by Caitlin Egeck, JD, HR and Compliance Manager, on August 24, 2026 Tags: Compliance You’ve just issued a written corrective action or started a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP). A few days later, the employee files an internal workplace complaint. Should Corrective Action Automatically Stop? Generally, no. One…
Read MoreWhat the 2026 Northwest Employee Benefits Survey Reveals About Employer Priorities
What the 2026 Northwest Employee Benefits Survey Reveals About Employer Priorities Posted by McKenna Arnold, Survey and Research Manager, on August 17, 2026 Tags: Compensation, Surveys Rising benefit costs continue to challenge employers across the Northwest, but the results of the 2026 Northwest Employee Benefits Survey suggest that organizations are making deliberate choices about where…
Read MoreAI’s Impact on Skill Building and Skill Based Pay
AI’s Impact on Skill Building and Skill Based Pay Posted by Olivia Steelman, Compensation Consultant on August 10, 2026 Tags: Compensation Public sentiment around AI remains mixed, but as barriers to accessing information and knowledge continue to fall, some wonder if formal degrees will continue to provide the wage growth and career mobility they have…
Read MorePay Conversations Are About More Than the Number
Pay Conversations Are About More Than the Number Posted by Lindsay Hill, Director of Compensation Services on August 3, 2026 Tags: Compensation conversations are often one of the most uncomfortable parts of being a manager. Whether an employee is receiving a pay increase, asking why their raise was smaller than expected, or wondering how their…
Read MoreMy Employee Exhausted Their Protected Leave. Now What?
My Employee Exhausted Their Protected Leave. Now What? Posted by Mackenzie Cowan, HR Consultant on July 27, 2026 Tags: Leave Laws Oregon has many laws that provide employees with protected leave, meaning that employees are entitled to be restored to their former job once they return. These laws have a limit on the amount of…
Read MoreWhy Smart Employers Are Rethinking How They Invest in Training
Why Smart Employers Are Rethinking How They Invest in Training Posted by Carolyn Culley, Director of Learning and Development on July 20, 2026 Tags: Training For most organizations, professional development works something like this: an employee identifies a course they need, a manager approves it, someone processes the registration, an invoice arrives, and the cycle…
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