Oregon minimum wage increases to $9.10 per hour

This week, Oregon announced plans to exceed President Barack Obama's request to Congress to raise the federal minimum wage. This change takes effect in January, setting a minimum wage of $9.10.

The change is expected to keep Oregon as the state with the nation's second-highest minimum wage. In 2014, Oregon's minimum wage will raise 15 cents. 

Concerned over the cost of doing business in Oregon?  

Let our HR Experts evaluate where we can save you money.

Documentation

How to Document

• Be timely – don’t try to “build a case” after the fact;
• Stick to the facts;
• What you see or hear - what would be on a video tape;
• Include the full story; be accurate and specific;
• If handwritten, write legibly in ink;
• Sign and date all documents;
• Document consistently.

Will the Affordable Care Act raise or lower workers’ compensation rates?

While doing research for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) I stumbled upon an article about workers’ compensation.  As a Risk Manager my first love is naturally workers’ compensation so I eagerly dived into the Rand Corporation’s study entitled, The Impact of Health Care Reform on Workers’ Compensation Medical Care.  In my experience, conventional wisdom among my peers in Risk Management is that employees with health insurance have lower workers’ compensation claim losses.  I share this preconception which is often reinforced when I see employees that do not have health insurance file workers’ compensation claims that probably did not happen on the job.  One of the many examples that come to mind is a hernia with a highly suspect set of facts.  The worker with the hernia also had a wife and newborn but did not yet have health insurance.  It was certainly within the realm of possibilities that a workers’ compensation claim was a way this employee could get treatment and keep his new job.

Social Media in the Workplace

Social Media, the means by which individuals may post personal messages, photos and videos to the web, has exploded as a means of electronic communication.  Whereas this efficient, ever-present medium has magnified the concept of in the moment connectivity and communication, its impact on workplace policies as well as how organizations conduct business correspondence and advertising has becoming encompassing.  The challenges that businesses experience with social media usage involve maintaining policies on what employees share in this very-public, very-difficult-to-delete-medium and yet adhere to the laws under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) as it relates to employee rights and communication on social media websites.

Health Insurance Exchange Notices – Who is enforcing their distribution?

By October 1^st, 2013 health exchange notices are required by law to have been distributed to all employees.  These notices to employees either explain the health insurance the employer provides or, if the employer does not offer coverage, refers employees to their state’s health insurance exchange to purchase insurance.  Examples of employee notices are available via the first link at the bottom.  (If you are a Cardinal client we will be assisting with this requirement.)