As wearable technology continues to evolve, smart glasses are becoming an increasingly popular accessory. While these devices offer numerous benefits, they also present unique legal challenges, particularly in California,...more
3/13/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Protection ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Espionage ,
OCR ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Management ,
Smart Devices ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Many of you know that there is no rhyme or reason as to when California decides to update their many required postings. So, dear readers, we wanted to let you know that the Civil Rights Department has updated the California...more
1/29/2025
/ California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Discrimination ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Policies ,
Harassment ,
Labor Code ,
Posting Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth (and moving towards fourth) largest economy and a market of over 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
1/10/2025
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
It’s that time of year for my annual holiday rituals: gingerbread lattes, Black Friday sales and employee handbook updates! As we move into 2025, California’s legal landscape continues to evolve, with several important...more
The Freelance Worker Protection Act is a significant new bill currently sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk, awaiting a signature or veto. Also known as SB 988, the bill is designed to safeguard the rights of freelance workers...more
Now that California employers have their Workplace Violence Prevention Plans (WVPP) in place (as of July 1) some grey areas have come up that warrant awareness and discussion.
•Some employers have had the foresight to...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth largest economy (moving toward fourth) and a market of more than 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
2/12/2024
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Fair Workweek ,
FEHA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Safety
With 38% of companies expecting to layoff employees in 2024, the start of the new year has already seen the announcements of thousands of employee layoffs across all sectors. What’s more is that disgruntled employees have...more
It has been an eventful year for California employers, and I don’t anticipate a slowing of pace in 2024. Between higher minimum wages, increasingly complicated local ordinances (e.g. paid sick), and changing technological...more
Though you may still be on a sugar high from Halloween, the new year is fast approaching, and with it, the onset of several new California employment laws. Employers should prepare now by updating their handbooks for 2024....more
11/10/2023
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Training ,
New Legislation ,
NLRA ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
With the continued efforts of employers to get employees back to the office in some capacity, the question of what expenses are reimbursable has again become relevant. California Labor Code section 2802 requires employers to...more
Can you take the “human” out of Human Resources? With the increasing curiosity and use surrounding ChatGPT and other AI platforms, businesses are struggling with how to manage the use of AI in the workplace. Weighing the...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth largest economy (moving toward fourth) and a market of more than 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
1/20/2023
/ Age Discrimination ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Fair Workweek ,
FEHA ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Safety
With the headlines of interest rate hikes and news of mass layoffs, we are seeing more employers looking to reduce staff and expenses. To avoid negative publicity and, hopefully, litigation, we wanted to give you key points...more
In 2021, the California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”) faced a major overhaul. Now, additional changes signed into law last week by Governor Newsom will expand employer obligations. Effective January 1, 2023, AB 1949 amends the...more
Getting ready to return to the office in California and need a refresher on what makes California law “special”?
Have plans to open an office/location somewhere in California and want to understand what laws apply and how...more
3/14/2022
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Ban the Box ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Discrimination ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reimbursements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
With a record number of Californians missing work due to the Omicron variant, Governor Newsom has reached a deal with state lawmakers to require employers with more than 25 employees to provide special supplemental Covid-19...more
Parental leave policies are back in the news. Jones Day, one of the nation’s largest law firms, faces legal action claiming its parental leave policy is discriminatory. The policy at issue provides 10 weeks of paid parental...more
Father’s Day came early for the class of new dads who settled their gender discrimination lawsuit last week regarding JPMorgan Chase’s parental leave policy. As we discussed here, this lawsuit, and the one against Estee...more
The Fair Labor Standards Act now permits back-of house employees to participate in mandatory tip pools, provided no tip credit is taken against minimum wage. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 budget bill effectively...more
4/10/2018
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Tip Credit ,
Tip-Pooling ,
Tipped Employees ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
I’m having a hard time believing December is here, perhaps partly due to our unseasonably warm temperatures here in LA. The holidays will be quickly upon us and the turn of the new year brings increases in the minimum wage...more
If the EEOC’s recent lawsuit against Estee Lauder is any indication of things to come, now is a good time to review your parental leave policy. The crux of the policy at issue is a grant of six weeks of paid parental leave...more
With the minimum wage increasing in cities across the state, I have been getting numerous calls and e-mails about those increases. I blogged about the announcement of the LA Hotel Ordinance increase already, but there’s...more
Earlier this week, I was advising a client on the termination of one of their spa employees. During the course of the conversation about his poor performance, the issue of his compensation came up. Turns out, while the...more
With briefs due next week, we anxiously await the California Supreme Court’s review of the de minimus doctrine in Troester v. Starbucks Corporation. Under the doctrine, employers are not obligated to pay employees for small...more