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Showing posts for: Diane Buisman

Mar 27 2020
COVID-19Safety and Health

New Social Distancing Policy available

Vigilant has developed a new Social Distancing Policy to help employers comply with orders that have been issued by various state governors in the past week, requiring implementation of social distancing measures at work to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). In particular, Oregon employers are required to “establish, implement, and enforce” a social distancing…

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Mar 24 2020
COVID-19

Governments issue “shelter-in-place” orders

The states of California, Oregon, and Washington, along with several individual counties and cities, have issued “shelter-in-place” orders in the past few days to combat the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). While each of these orders is slightly different, the general purpose is the same: a governmental authority is implementing an order to restrict the movement…

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Mar 24 2020
COVID-19Hiring

Remote inspection of Form I-9 allowed during COVID-19 emergency

The federal Department of Homeland Security has relaxed the standard regarding the need to physically inspect a new employee’s employment eligibility documents when filling out Form I-9, if the employer is unable to do so during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) national emergency (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Press Release, March 20, 2020). When completing the…

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Mar 19 2020
COVID-19Employee BenefitsHarassment & Discrimination

ALERT: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences

Alert: New federal law provides paid leave for COVID-19 absences President Trump has signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, an economic stimulus package that offers employees certain emergency protections for absences related to the coronavirus (COVID-19). This new law will have a major impact on employers throughout 2020, as it expands the federal Family…

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Mar 16 2020
COVID-19DisabilityLeave Laws

Alert: Coronavirus pandemic raises numerous workplace questions

The United States has been hard hit by coronavirus in the past week and Vigilant has received a variety of questions from members about this evolving situation. We previously reported on how to handle situations with employees who seek to return to the workplace after traveling to areas affected by the virus. Here are a…

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Mar 04 2020
COVID-19Leave LawsSafety and Health

Alert: Coronavirus questions increase along with potential impact on workplace

As the United States has seen a few outbreaks of coronavirus (COVID-19) along the West Coast in the past week, Vigilant has received a variety of questions from members about this evolving situation. We previously reported on how to handle situations with employees who seek to return to the workplace after traveling to areas affected…

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Feb 13 2019
Uncategorized

Q&A: Do we have to cut ties with a valuable employee who harassed someone?

Question: We have a manager who is great at keeping production on pace and running efficiently, but he has a hard time getting along with other people. He recently said some really inappropriate things to one of his employees. Normally we would terminate for this behavior, but he is our top performer; can we avoid…

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Jan 02 2019
DisabilityEmployee BenefitsEmployee Classifications

Best practice idea: Follow up after making disability accommodation

One of our Vigilant members has implemented a best practice that we think is worth sharing: annual check-ins with employees who are receiving workplace accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Annual Check-In: What’s Involved The company sends the employee a letter each year, reviewing what accommodations have been made and asking: (1) whether…

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Nov 02 2018
Uncategorized

Q&A: Pay equity analysis not a quick fix

Answer: You need to do a lot of homework before conducting a pay equity analysis. California, Oregon (as of January 1, 2019), and Washington have all revised their equal pay laws in ways that significantly increase employers’ potential liability for pay discrimination claims. Oregon’s law is particularly concerning because it takes into account 10 protected…

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Jul 05 2018
Harassment & DiscriminationQ&A

Q&A: Informal harassment complaints should be taken seriously

Answer: While it’s ideal for employees to follow the reporting procedure in your harassment policy, unfortunately that procedure may not always be followed. When you receive information about inappropriate behavior by other means (e.g. a manager observes the behavior; an employee mentions it in passing to a supervisor; employees are overheard talking about it, etc.),…

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May 15 2018
Drug and Alcohol

Q&A: Address employee’s failure to follow drug testing procedures

Answer: Possibly. Failure to follow established drug testing procedures can sometimes be a sign of an employee trying to evade or tamper with a drug test. For example, an employee who stops by their house along the way to the testing facility, fails to provide a sample without a valid medical reason, or offers a…

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Mar 27 2018
Q&AWage and Hour

Q&A: Be careful when considering a settlement for back wages

Question: We recently conducted a self-audit and discovered that we underpaid one employee for wages earned. If we pay her the past wages owed and ask her to sign something releasing us from liability, are we covered? Answer: No. Conducting self-audits can be helpful in identifying errors in your wage and hour practices and providing…

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