Blog
CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 63
EEOC Obtains $2 Million Settlement with McDonald’s Franchisees for Tolerating Sexual Harassment
Arizona owners of 18 California, Arizona, and Nevada McDonald’s franchises have agreed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to pay $1,997,500 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit.
MANDATORY NOTICES UPDATE
Workplaces Notices Must Be Current
California and the federal government require employers to distribute or post numerous notices on workplace laws and complaint procedures.
CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 62
Department of Labor $5.6 Million Judgment for Drivers Miscast as Independent Contractors
California is notorious for penalizing improper classification of employees as independents. Not to be outdone, the federal Department of Labor is also cracking down on employers who similarly miscast workers.
BOUNDARIES, EXPLAINED
Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
Every two years, employers with five or more on payroll must provide at least two hours of classroom or other effective interactive sexual harassment prevention training and education to all California supervisory employees and at least one hour of such training to all nonsupervisory employees working on-site or remotely within California.
CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 61
TAKE CARE WITH CAREGIVERS
Many in the home care industry mistakenly pay hired caregivers as independent contractors.
Case in point: the Labor Commissioner has cited two related agencies, Angel Connection Nursing Care and Angel Connection Nursing Services of Long Beach – and their owners individually – $1.8 million for misclassifying 66 employees as independents.
EMPLOYER’S MANDATORY SHOW & TELL
New State Guidance on Pay Rate Transparency
Buried among previous online guidances on the California Equal Pay Act, the Labor Commissioner has issued FAQs to shed light on SB 1162, California’s new pay transparency (disclosure) law.
HANDBOOK HELPER EPISODE 18
Reporting Disputes and Open-Door Policy
Employers should provide employees with clear written instructions on how to report workplace-related difficulties, problems or confusions, such as regarding job performance, fair treatment under office policy, co-worker disputes, or any other work-related concern.
ROAD BILL
Three Cents Increase, Annual IRS Standard Mileage Rate
The Internal Revenue Service has announced its 2023 optional standard mileage reimbursement rate for employee business use of a personal vehicle, effective January 1, 2023, up from the mid-year increase of 62.5 to 65.5 cents/mile.
HANDBOOK HELPER EPISODE 17
Consistency and Control on Reference Checks, Media Contact, and Bulletin Boards
Without clear-cut guidelines even well-intended actions can result in harmful consequences.
For example, enterprising employees might be tempted to respond directly to employee requests for recommendations and/or reference letters, which could create inconsistency. A well-written reference checks policy will typically instruct employees to refrain from responding directly and refer such requests to the human resources department or to another designated person for any response.
HANDBOOK HELPER EPISODE 16
Handling Customer Discount Requests and Vendor Solicitations
Employers can and should provide employees with clear written instructions on how to respond to customer requests for discounted, free or replacement goods or services and how to field vendor solicitation for the employer’s purchase of a service, equipment, or product.