Monthly Archives: December 2017


Ask HR: Review Not helping Performance

Dear HR: My supervisor verbally talked to the employee about these issues prior to a Performance Review a few months ago. During the Review, the concerns were discussed again and the employee was given 60 days to correct her performance. According to supervisor, as of today – her 60th day, there has been no improvement. The supervisor is going to give her a written warning with an additional 30 day probation period to correct the […]


Ask HR: Poor Performing Employees

Dear HR: One of my supervisors called me about performance concerns with an employee. Evidently, these concerns have been going on for some time, and I was not informed. Please advise me on how to handle both my employee and supervisor.   HR Answer: Performance problems typically arise and fester when supervisors allow employee performance issues to accumulate. A supervisor’s responsibility is to effectively guide and re-direct employees to ensure they are meeting expectations. Oregon […]


Ask HR: Holiday Business Hours and PTO Requests

Dear HR: We decided to give each of our staff an extra two days of paid time off (PTO) to use around the holidays this year. These two days are in addition to the 14 they normally receive to use throughout the year. This is something we have never done before, and we want to be fair to our staff. We value our staff and appreciate all their hard work this year, so we want […]


Battle Clause: Santa vs. the Establishment

Santa Claus. Some of us dress like him.  Many of us have even sat on his lap.  Almost all of us have seen him—and in the coming month, he’ll be everywhere during this time of year. He’s BIG.  He also evokes a range of emotions in our diverse culture. Some people fondly recall memories of family holiday celebrations with the big man while others are focused on the religious meaning of the holiday season.  For […]


Ask HR: Is my Employee Exempt now?

Dear HR: I am moving an employee into a full time Operation Manager’s position and the employee will no longer do any field work. I will be paying him a salary and he will be supervising three employees and be able to make recommendations on hiring and terminating employees. Does this make him an “exempt” employee now?   HR Answer: It depends upon the salary amount you intend to pay your employee. There are exemptions […]