Alerts
REMINDER: Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) Is Now In Effect
6/30/23: Effective June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical
Paid Leave Oregon Update
6/23/23: On September 3, 2023, the window for Paid Leave Oregon insurance claims is scheduled to open. The Oregon Employment Department continues to work diligently to provide guidance and information for employers and employees to consider. Earlier this week an update was provided by the Oregon Employment Department. The highlights are below.
25 or more Oregon employees? Keep Reading...
6/16/23: The 2023 Oregon Legislative session will be ending soon. When it does, we will do a comprehensive report on the changes that each employer needs to think about. There is one piece of legislation that needs your attention quickly. Many of you are aware of the benefits window...
PUMP Act
5/16/23: The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has expanded the rights of nursing employees to take breaks and have a private place to express breast milk during the workday.
The FLSA requires employers to provide reasonable break time for a nursing employee to express breast milk for...
Oregon Minimum Wage Increase Effective 7/1/23
4/20/23: The Bureau of Labor and Industries in Oregon has completed their annual review of the Consumer Price Index and announced a minimum wage increase of $0.70 per hour. This increase...
Oregon OSHA Rescinds COVID-19 Workplace Requirements
04/03/23: Oregon OSHA, in alignment with updated public health guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), will rescind its...
Paid Leave Oregon - Contributions and Taxes
12/21/22: On December 16th, the Oregon Department of Revenue issued clarification on questions related to the Paid Leave Oregon...
OFLA Eligibility During Public Health Emergency
11/28/22: Effective January 1, 2022, OFLA eligible employees who terminate or are removed from the schedule but...
Paid Leave Oregon - Change to Employee Count in Rules
11/23/22: On November 22, 2022, the Oregon Employment Department published the following...
Paid Leave Oregon - The Poster Is Available
10/4/22:The Oregon Employment Department has published the model notice poster for Paid Leave Oregon.
Oregon - Power Outages Expected
09/08/22: Just like our experience with COVID-19, we find ourselves in new territory as the instance and likelihood of wildfire has significantly increased.
Paid Leave Oregon
09/06/22: Paid Leave Oregon is a new program that ensures individuals, employers, and families have the time and support they need to care for themselves and their loved ones when life's important moments affect their
Mask Mandates, Another Update
03/01/22: While we released our ALERT regarding the lifting of mask mandates just yesterday, the change of information continues to sneak up on all of us. Oregon and Washington have updated their dates again.
Mask Mandates Ending for Most Locations
02/28/22: While many states have already lifted their mask mandates for most indoor and outdoor locations Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii have continued forward with varying levels
OSHA Vaccine Mandate Update
01/14/22:
Are your inbox, social media, and news feeds full of information about the Supreme Court’s ruling on the proposed vaccine mandate? Ours are! Below is a brief summary of important points.
What happened
OSHA ETS, Please Pause
11/22:21: As many of you are aware the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) earlier this month. The ETS had several requirements regarding
OSHA Temporary Rule - Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination and/or Testing
11/04/21:The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will post
Oregon Indoor Mask Requirement
08/12/21: Oregon will reinstate the requirement to wear a mask in all indoor public spaces, effective tomorrow, August 13, 2021. At this time, there is no stated
Oregon Legislative Update
07/23/21: The 2021 Oregon Legislative session has come to a close and there are a few items that require action by Human Resources in specific industries, for specific professions, or
Changes to Masks and Distancing Requirements
05/17/21: This past week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that fully
American Rescue Plan
03/30/21: There are several components that every employer needs to be aware of and a brief overview is provided below. Please call us for additional information and to discuss your specific situation.
Sunset of FFCRA Leaves
Last year federal government passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) which required a majority of employers to provide emergency paid sick and/or family and medical leave benefits
OR OSHA Grace Period
As many of you know Oregon OSHA recently adopted Temporary COVID-19 Rules with a series of deadlines for every employer in Oregon. These grace periods will apply differently depending on your organization's
WA New Safe Start Restrictions
Washington’s Governor, Jay Inslee, has announced new rules which are effective Monday, Nov. 16th at midnight (12:01 am Tuesday), except for where noted as in the case of restaurants (see specifics below). If
OR Two Week Freeze
Today, Oregon’s Governor, Kate Brown announced a Statewide 2 Week Freeze. The freeze will begin on November 18th and is scheduled to end on December 2, 2019. The Two-Week Freeze measures include:
OR OSHA Compliance Changes
On October 23, 2020 Oregon OSHA issued draft temporary rules related to COVID-19. This draft includes multiple compliance dates throughout November and December 2020.
California Family Rights Act
Senate Bill 1383, which repeals and replaces the text of the CFRA and repeals the NPLA, was recently signed by Governor Newsom and is set to take effect on January 1, 2021. Notable changes to existing CFRA provisions
Independent Contractor or Not?
The Department of Labor has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with the intention of providing clarity in the standards used to determine the status of an individual as either an
COVID-19, Face Coverings
Mask on, mask off, mask required…maybe it’s not. This could be a new Dr. Seuss book. Wondering what to do? We want to reinforce that there are good sources of information about what to do. At times, and with face
FFCRA Quick Reference
For most of our readers it has been a month or more since we began the daily job of consuming large amounts of information, planning for and making changes, and doing our best to answers questions. There seems to
COVID-19 Presumptive Positive
This is hard stuff. While we don’t want to cause panic amongst our employees, we also have the responsibility to provide a safe work environment. Now how do you do
COVID-19 DOL Guidance
Today’s updates are brief. We have posted an updated slide presentation based on the Department of Labor Guidance . Please don’t forget employee notices will need to be provided by Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
COVID-19 How Can We Help?
HR Answers has been in full swing reading and producing information and answering phone calls and emails. The pace of change related to the COVID-19 pandemic is rapid. We want to assure all of you that we will