Author Archive
LUNCH TIME-TRACKING
Preventing a Recordkeeping
Business-Buster
California requires employers to maintain accurate time records reflecting all hours worked, including start and end times of meal periods. Labor Code § 1174(d).
SEND AWAY PAY
Mastering “Reporting Time Pay” Compliance
California employers must provide additional “reporting time pay” to non-exempt (hourly) employees who report for scheduled work but then are given less than half of their shift. The amount is at least two hours’ and no more than four hours’ pay at the regular rate. For a second reporting on the same workday, the employer must pay at least two additional hours at the regular rate.
BOUNDARIES 101
California’s Anti-Discrimination Legislation
California and federal labor laws are designed to protect employees from unlawful discrimination. California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), signed into law in 1980 by then-Governor Jerry Brown, is the principal anti-discrimination law in California today.
LAST PAY MAYDAY
Final Paycheck Requirements
California employers must meet strict deadlines for issuing final paychecks or face penalties – up to 30 days of the employee’s daily wage for each day of delay. The deadlines vary depending on termination or resignation.
LEAVE LAW LOWDOWN
California Vacation, PTO and Sick Leave
California employers must follow complex state and local laws when managing employee time off. With proper planning, they can either separate mandatory sick leave from vacation or paid time off (PTO) or combine them into a single policy. Each approach carries specific legal obligations.
NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTECTIONS FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS
Some Now Covered by Cal/OSHA Safeguards
Under SB 1350, effective July 1, 2025, some domestic workers are now covered by Cal/OSHA employee protections.
IT’S HOT AGAIN
Ramp Up Heat Illness Prevention Measures
Cal/OSHA recently reminded employers of their obligation to prevent worker heat illness, outdoors and indoors. With temperatures rising into the 90s and 100s in some locations, such measures are necessary to prevent serious injury.
RIGHTS INSIGHTS
Employers Must Distribute Updated Victims Pamphlet
California’s Civil Rights Department has released the new “Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Rights to Leave and Accommodations” pamphlet as required by Assembly Bill (AB) 2499.
Starting January 1, 2025, AB 2499 strengthens protections for employees affected by qualifying acts of violence, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violent threats or acts. Employers must provide protected leave, reasonable accommodation, and prohibit retaliation against those asserting these rights.
THE PURSUIT OF PEACE
Review and Retrain: Workplace Violence Prevention Plan
Beginning July 1, 2024, most California employers must establish a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) for each work site, provide violence prevention training, and maintain incident logs and records of investigations and hazard assessments.
CALIFORNIA NEW MINIMUM WAGE RATES TAKE EFFECT IN JULY
Effective July 1, 2025, several California cities and counties will implement increases to their local minimum wage rates.