Oregon’s “Fair Work Week Act” requires covered employers to provide employees with advanced notice of their work schedules. The new law applies to employers in the large retail, food service and hospitality industries with more than 500 employees worldwide and at least one or more hourly employees working in the State of Oregon.

For new hires, covered employers must provide new employees with a written “good faith estimate” of the employee’s typical work schedule including the expected median number of hours per month and whether employees can be expected to work on-call shifts.

For all employees, employers must provide employees with notice of their work schedules at least 7 days before the period covered by the schedule begins. The 7-day notice period increases to 14 days beginning July 1, 2020.

If an employer adds an additional shift to an employee’s written work schedule, the employee may decline the new shift. If an employer subtracts hours from an employee’s scheduled shifts, the employer must pay the employee one-half of the employee’s regular hourly rate for each scheduled hour that the employee does not work due to the change.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you are a covered employer, you should take immediate steps to train your managers and HR teams on the law’s requirements and update your employee handbooks, policies, and training materials. Finally, there are exceptions to the penalty requirements, so call Stokes Wagner for guidance on navigating and complying with the Fair Work Week Act.

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