What are 5 things you should you be hearing from your Retro or workers' comp provider? The first thing you should be hearing is the importance of immediacy. Why? In this short video, Dan Beaty, VP Workers’ Compensation explains: In claims, immediacy can mean the difference of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Let's…
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“Accident prevention is a journey, not a destination”. This saying is often heard from Vigilant’s own Safety Manager, Manish Gooneratne. He’s full of profound truisms, and this one has always been memorable. It’s also relevant in light of the good news I received last week. You might recall that in last month’s post on workers’ comp best practices, I…
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On January 14, 2023, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries (L&I)’s COVID-19 (coronavirus) emergency rules that had been in place for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry expired and were not renewed. While this means that the remaining emergency restrictions have been lifted, agricultural employers providing TWH must continue…
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Employers in Oregon and Washington who use noncompetition agreements must review enforceability requirements and increased minimum salary thresholds annually in order to ensure that their contracts remain legally enforceable at the time of separation from employment. Oregon: For valid noncompete agreements signed on or after January 1, 2022, the minimum gross…
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After a recent visit to my doctor, I was told in no uncertain terms that I needed to change my eating habits or potentially face some serious health consequences. Wow. Ok. Did I know that my diet was off track? Yes (sigh). So, why did it take the specter of…
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Question: We have an employee on medical leave who applied for WPFML benefits, but the notice we received from ESD only provides a broad date range for the approved leave with no other information. How are we supposed to keep track of this? Answer: Consider requiring the employee to provide you…
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The Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) recently released a new Administrative Policy (ES.E.1) that provides guidance on new job posting requirements. As we previously reported, employers with 15 or more employees must include specific information on wages and benefits in all job postings beginning January 1, 2023. The Administrative…
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As of January 1, 2023, the premiums will increase for Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program. The premium rate will be 0.8 percent (up from 0.6 percent) of each employee’s gross wages (not including tips), up to a maximum of $160,200 (the 2023 Social Security cap). The split between employers…
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Question: Our company is located in Oregon, and we have an employee who works in person two days a week at our facility in Portland. The employee teleworks the rest of the week from their residence in Vancouver, Washington. Should we report their wages to the paid family and medical…
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Governor Jay Inslee ended the COVID-19 public health emergency for the state of Washington on October 31, 2022, but employers still have some obligations under state law. As we previously reported, the continuing requirements for COVID-19 (coronavirus) stem from Washington’s Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) and from an ongoing obligation to…
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