Archive for November, 2011
A CALIFORNIA EMPLOYER’S GUIDE TO NEW LAWS
Personal Liability and Mandatory On-Line Flogging for Misclassifying Employees as Independent Contractors We recently warned of the economic risks for an employer who chooses to cut corners by classifying a regular worker as an independent contractor. A wide range of California and federal agencies have the power to impose back taxes, interest and penalties upon […]
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY FORUM: TERRORISM AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
Defining Freedom in the Post 9-11 World Please save the date: Saturday, December 10, 2011 9:30 A.M. – NOON Youth for Human Rights International and United for Human Rights present: TERRORISM AND CIVIL LIBERTIES Defining Freedom in the Post 9-11 World Brunch with presentations and panel to follow. Church of Scientology of Pasadena 35 S. […]
GENDER EQUALITY AND DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE
Employment sex or gender discrimination arises from treating male and female employees with comparable skills and in comparable jobs differently. Personnel decisions must be made on the basis of skills and other job-related qualifications. Unless a person’s sex is a job requirement (e.g., locker room attendants in a sports club), choosing to hire, discipline, fire, […]
ENGLISH-ONLY AND FLUENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE WORKPLACE
Breaking the Language Barrier A company catering to English-speaking clientele may implement appropriate English-only rules and language fluency requirements in the name of customer service. However, such employers must ensure that such policies are fairly and only applied for business-based reasons. For example, declining to hire an individual who speaks English proficiently with an unfamiliar […]
EMPLOYEE MEAL AND REST PERIODS
Are California Employers Responsible if Workers Skip Them? California companies must provide non-union workers with at least a 30 minute unpaid meal break between shifts and at least a ten minute paid break during each shift. See, “Employee Meal Periods and Rest Breaks, California’s Basic Requirements for R&R,” April 8, 2011. However, even though the […]
WHEN IT’S TIME TO CONTACT AN EMPLOYMENT LAWYER
Knowing When to Call for Reinforcements There’s a saying that no-one likes lawyers … until you need one. While experienced and knowledgeable managers are usually capable of handling basic employment issues, there are pitfalls in the more complex or high stakes situations for which consultation with an employment and labor lawyer is probably a good […]