Blog
WRITTEN EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE POLICY
It would seem too obvious to have a policy that workers must show up in order to keep their jobs and to be paid. Perhaps it is, but it’s still not a bad idea to issue clear written directives expecting attendance, specifying work days and working hours, and setting procedures for employees to notify the […]
MANDATORY EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS
California Requires Employers to Pay A company’s required uniforms for its workforce can provide a more professional image and an espirit de corps and comradery among employees. While the federal law permits employers to require workers to finance their own mandatory uniforms under certain circumstances, California requires businesses to foot the bill. The U.S. Fair […]
CALIFORNIA’S SUITABLE SEATING REQUIREMENTS
Sitting Down on the Job As raised in several recent class action suits against retail giants Wal-Mart, Home Depot and others, California requires “suitable seating” for certain employees. California Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Order 7-2001, section 14, covering retail businesses, states: (A) All working employees shall be provided with suitable seats when the nature of […]
IRS ANNOUNCES NEW STANDARD MILEAGE RATES
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rate from 51 cents to 55.5 cents per mile for all business miles driven from July 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. This is highest IRS standard rate since the latter part of 2008. www.irs.gov. Although the IRS typically updates its […]
EMPLOYEE HOLIDAY PARTY OPTIONAL IN CALIFORNIA
California’s Department of Labor Standards Enforcement website explains that a non-union employer has full discretion: a) to close the business on any holiday; b) to give employees the day off for any particular holiday; or c) to pay employees taking a holiday off. In this state, hours worked on holidays are not considered differently from […]
MINIMUM WAGE AND EMPLOYEE TIPS
“Tip Credit” Law Not Valid in California The food industry is prone to violations of some very unforgiving minimum wage and overtime compensation rules. For example, some restaurant owners and managers mistakenly presume they can pay employees less than the hourly minimum wage ($8.00/hour in California; $7.25 federal law) if workers can make up the […]
REQUIRED HEAT ILLNESS PREVENTION FOR OUTDOOR WORKSITES
Cal/OSHA Increases Enforcement The heat is on as “Cal/OSHA” (California Division on Occupational Safety and Health [DOSH]) announced last week that it will step up illness prevention measures through the summer months. Marking the first day of summer, Cal/OSHA Chief Ellen Widess’s press release cautioned that the agency “will be out there across the state, […]
UNDERSTANDING CHILD LABOR LAWS
Preventing the Summertime Blues (‘Cause There Ain’t No Cure…) Hiring a teen under age 18 involves some essentials: 1. Familiarity with Applicable Laws: Review federal and state laws on teen employment — especially the rules on what types of jobs teens are not allowed to perform. Many small businesses, and especially those just starting out, […]
DISABILITY AND LEAVE OF ABSENCE POLICIES
Keeping Up with Changing Employment Laws A recent California Employer Daily article touches on an important employment law subject — the unanticipated pitfalls HR managers and employers face, including from the shifts and refinements in the state and federal leave laws. Key leave laws—the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the California Family […]
WORKPLACE AGE DISCRIMINATION LAWS PROTECT “OLD PEOPLE” ONLY
How Old is Legally “Old”? While many might recognize that business cannot use “age” as a criterion for employment decisions, including hiring, promotion, discipline or termination, the federal and California protections actually only apply to persons “of a certain age.” Workers under 40, the relatively “young,” do not have such rights. Employees aged 40 or […]