Each California employer is required to give employees at least one day off during the company’s defined seven-day workweek (e.g., Monday to Sunday; Sunday to Saturday). There are three main exceptions:
As larger employers have been discovering lately, arbitration agreements can be more of a curse than a blessing.
Employers must maintain accurate records of all time worked by hourly employees. Labor Code 1174(d). Management may not prohibit employees from keeping a personal record of such work time.
Federal law requires employers to obtain from every new worker a completed Form I-9 and satisfactory supporting documents from Lists A, B and/or C as a condition of hiring. The documents on List B establish identity only, such as driver’s licenses, voter registration cards, or military IDs.
In the absence of a writing or factors showing otherwise, California and most other states presume employment relationships are “at-will.” The at-will employee or employer may terminate the relationship at any time, with or without advance notice, and for any lawful reason or no reason.
A troubling March 15, 2022 report shows California’s largest employers have yet to ensure adequate equal employment opportunities in their hiring and pay practices.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has sued Chipotle, alleging the fast food chain’s management failed to investigate and resolve harassment of young female employees severe enough to force two of them to leave their jobs.
On February 28, 2022, California Department of Public Health (CDPH) updated its face mask guidance. Effective March 1, 2022, CPDH no longer requires masks for unvaccinated individuals in most indoor public settings, although it strongly recommends that all persons, regardless of vaccine status, continue using well-fitting surgical masks or respirators indoors.
Narrowing the power of business to keep workplace disputes out of court, the newly enacted federal “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021” enables employees to disregard otherwise mandatory arbitration and have judges and juries decide such claims.
Some businesses are rebuilding after their Covid-19 contraction. Labor Code 2810.8 requires those in certain industries – hotels or private clubs with 50 or more rooms, event centers, airport hospitality operations and service providers, and companies providing building services, including security, to office, retail, or other commercial buildings