The following updates to Oregon employment law take effect on January 1, 2026, and apply to employers of all sizes.
NEW WAGE NOTICE
Employers will be required to provide new hires with a written notice of the earnings and deductions that will appear on their pay statements. The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has a customizable template in English and Spanish on its website that employers can use.
If creating your own notice, it needs to include:
The employer’s regular pay period
Any type of pay rate that the employee is eligible for (such as hourly pay, salary pay, or shift differentials) and any deductions that could apply
All benefit deductions and contributions
The purpose of any deduction that might be made during a regular pay period
Any allowances claimed as part of minimum wage
Employer-provided benefits that could appear as contributions and deductions
Payroll codes used for pay rates and deductions and a detailed description of each
Employers need to ensure that the information in the notice is accurate by January 1 each year.
Employers can comply by providing the notice individually or making it available to employees in a way that’s easily accessible, such as on a website, posted in a central location, or by email.
Action Item
Begin providing new hires with notices that include the above information.
SICK LEAVE FOR BLOOD DONATION
Employees will be allowed to use their accrued sick leave to donate blood. To be covered, the donation program must be voluntary and approved or accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks or the American Red Cross.
Action Item
Update your sick leave policy to include this new leave reason. If you use our Smart Employee Handbook, accept the policy update if you haven’t already.
WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PREVENTION
The state’s workplace violence prevention law for healthcare employers will be expanded significantly, including covering more types of employers and a wider range of conduct.
Specifically, covered employers will be expanded to include home health agencies and home hospice programs, and covered conduct will be broadened to workplace violence that will include any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, assault, homicide, or any other threatening behavior that occurs in the workplace (currently, the law only covers assault).
A few additional key changes include that employers will need to:
Provide workplace violence prevention training annually to employees as well as contracted security personnel working onsite. New employees should be trained within 90 days of hire, and temporary employees within 14 days of their start date.
Develop a detailed workplace violence prevention and response plan, including policies and procedures for conducting investigations and post-incident interviews and implementing post-incident response strategies.
Provide each employee with a written copy of the plan, including a statement explaining that employees are protected from retaliation. New hires should receive this within 30 calendar days of their start date.
The updated law also includes additional provisions, such as safety measures and training requirements for home healthcare employees. Oregon OSHA is planning to create regulations to better define employer obligations, which will likely be accessible from its website when finalized.