Oregon News & Analysis

  • Cutting-Edge HR

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 10/01/2021

    Survey finds enhancing employee experience a priority. More than nine in 10 employers (94%) say enhancing the employee experience will be an important priority at their organization over the next three years. That compares with just 54% that indicated it was important to their organization before the pandemic, according to a survey from advisory firm Willis Towers Watson. The 2021 Employee Experience Survey also shows that adapting to the new reality of work will take time and require a hybrid work model, and many employers are not ready to meet that challenge. The survey also shows most respondents believe a positive employee experience is a key driver of engagement, employee well-being, productivity, and ability to attract and retain talent. The survey also shows that while employers expect the proportion of their employees working primarily remotely will drop in three years, they expect one in four will be working a mix of on-site and remotely in three years, triple the current number.

  • Washington issues emergency heat exposure rules to protect outdoor workers

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Stephanie Holstein, Perkins Coie LLP

    On July 9, 2021, in the wake of an extreme heat wave that resulted in record-high temperatures, Washington became the second state in the Pacific Northwest to announce emergency rules providing hot weather protection to outdoor workers. The rules came just one day after Oregon passed a similar measure.

  • Nevada employers must compensate employees who get COVID-19 shots

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Therese Shanks, Fennemore Law

    The Nevada Legislature recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 209 requiring employers to give employees paid time off (PTO) to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Here's how the new law works and what you will need to know.

  • Washington issues wildfire smoke emergency rule

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Emily A. Bushaw, Perkins Coie LLP

    The Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) filed a new emergency rule on July 16, 2021, providing increased protection to employees exposed to wildfire smoke. The rule took effect immediately, though enforcement for various provisions is slightly delayed.

  • New Washington law lets employees use property lien to secure unpaid wages

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Emily A. Bushaw and Jasmine Hui, Perkins Coie LLC

    Governor Jay Inslee recently signed the Washington Wage Recovery Act (WRA), allowing employees to place a lien on their employers' property to secure unpaid wages. You should become familiar with the new statute before it goes into effect on January 1, 2022.

  • Biden targets noncompetes in Executive Order promoting competition

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by David J. Woolf and Janice Sued Agresti, Faegre Drinker

    In a recent Executive Order (EO) on promoting competition in the American economy (https://bit.ly/3hMmWSJ), President Joe Biden encouraged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban or limit noncompete agreements. In doing so, he continues (and potentially accelerates) what to date has been a piecemeal effort conducted almost exclusively at the state level to limit and, in some cases, prohibit the use of noncompetes, particularly for low-wage workers.

  • Employers cautiously weigh whether to mandate vaccines

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Gary S. Fealk, Bodman PLC

    To mandate or not to mandate COVID-19 vaccines—that's the pressing issue employers are confronting. Overall, many are still cautious about requiring the shots, and rightfully so.

  • Rocket propulsion manufacturer cannot limit employment opportunities to U.S. citizens

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Franck G. Wobst, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, LLP

    A recent settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer serves as a useful reminder of the scope and purpose of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 (INA) and the authority of the department's Immigrant and Employee Rights (IER) section.

  • Tips to make sure disabilities don't derail diversity, inclusion efforts

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Tammy Binford

    The numbers aren't surprising. Year after year, statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) show the unemployment rate for people with disabilities to be dramatically higher than the rate for people without disabilities. Figures from June show the unemployment rate for people ages 16 to 64—the age group commonly considered to be the working-age population—was 11% for those with disabilities. That compares to 5.9% for people in the same age group who don't have disabilities. The 2020 unemployment rate was 13.3% for people ages 16 to 64 who have disabilities and 7.9% for people in the same age group without disabilities.

  • Leery of hiring ex-offenders? Study looks at employer attitudes

    From: Oregon Employment Law Letter | 09/01/2021
    by Tammy Binford

    For years, employers have bemoaned the "skills gap." Even when candidates seem to be plentiful, many employers report a dearth of applicants with the right skills to fill positions. It's enough to put employers on the hunt for new talent pools, and recent research points out why they might consider a long-shunned group—people with criminal records.