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HOLIDAY SEASON OFFICE PARTY THAT’S NICE, NOT NAUGHTY
Workplace celebrations for end-of-year holidays can build teamwork and morale if properly planned and managed. Here are some suggested do’s and don’ts so your festivities will be a rousing success and not a human resources nightmare. DO: Start by evaluating what type of events best fit your company’s culture, but remember that even if you […]
SUN SETTING ON SAFE HARBOR ON DECEMBER 15, 2016
California Piece Pay Employers’ Final Step Is Payment and Documentation Submitted to the State Several California industries – trucking and agriculture in particular – have utilized “piece-rate” pay for many years, commonly to the benefit of management and employees alike. Drivers have earned by the miles traveled or loads delivered, field workers have made their […]
IT’S ALL RELATIVE
Employees with Disabled Family Members Are Protected from “Associational” Discrimination For some 15 years, Luis Castro-Ramirez was the only family member qualified to administer daily dialysis treatments to his ailing son. When Dependable Highway Express, Inc. (DHE) hired Castro-Ramirez in December 2009, his supervisors accommodated his request for morning shifts so that he would arrive […]
EMPLOYER DUE DILIGENCE REQUIRED TO LOCATE FORMER WORKERS UNDER CALIFORNIA’S PIECE WORK SAFE HARBOR
All Steps Must Be Taken by December 15, 2016 In the few weeks remaining before the mid-December 2016 deadline, thousands of California businesses must complete all required steps to accomplish “safe harbor” protection from potentially significant piece rate back pay liabilities. Specified in Labor Code 226.2(b), These actions include: (1) accurate calculation of the safe […]
NEW CALIFORNIA OVERTIME REQUIREMENTS FOR AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYERS
Phase-In of Stricter Rules Begins January 1, 2017 Agricultural employers in California must prepare to overhaul their compensation schemes under the Phase-In Overtime for Agricultural Workers Act of 2016 (Act), a new law signed by the Governor on September 12, 2016. The Act affects all persons “employed in an agricultural occupation” (essentially field workers), lowering […]
CALIFORNIA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS WORKPLACE RETALIATION AND SEX DISCRIMINATION TRENDS
The California Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) has published its annual statistical report on unlawful workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation charges filed in 2015. Individuals filed 17,915 complaints with DFEH last year, up a few hundred from the 2014 total. Many contained multiple accusations. Retaliation, disability and sex-based grievances top the 2015 list, […]
THE END IS NIGH
••• California’s Piece Work Employers Must Convey All Back Payments and Statements by December 15, 2016 ••• There is No Provision for Extensions For thousands of California employers who have compensated workers on a piece rate basis over the years, December 15, 2016 is a critical deadline for delivering the required back payments and accompanying […]
COMPUTER SOFTWARE PROFESSIONAL OVERTIME EXEMPTION REQUIREMENT
California Labor Code section 515.5 exempts certain computer software professionals from overtime compensation who receive specified minimum compensation. California’s Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has announced its rate increase for this minimum, effective January 1, 2017. To comply with the section 515.5 exemptions, California employers must pay otherwise qualified computer software employees a minimum hourly […]
NEW MINIMUM SALARY LEVELS COMING FOR TOP-FLOOR EXECUTIVES
Federal Increase Due December 1, 2016 To Qualify Exempt-from-Overtime Employees Effective December 1, 2016, the Federal Overtime Exemption Rule, “the Final Rule,” will raise the minimum salary amounts for certain workers to qualify for overtime exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). See New Stricter Federal Requirements on Exemptions from Overtime, Employers Must Comply […]
OVERTIME-EXEMPT PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Minimum Hourly Rate Increases Are Near California Labor Code section 515.6 exempts certain licensed physicians and surgeons from overtime compensation as long as they receive set minimum hourly rates of pay. The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) is increasing this minimum, effective January 1, 2017. To avoid California’s requirements to pay overtime premium rates after […]