How to Regulate Workplace Romances With sexual harassment allegations surfacing daily in the media, it’s not surprising that coworkers may be more hesitant to date each other. In the 2018 CareerBuilder’s Annual Valentine’s Day survey, only 36% percent of workers reported having dated a coworker, a 10-year low. Regardless, office romances remain a fact of […]
California Employers May Maintain Drug-Free and Alcohol-Free Policies Effective January 1, 2018, California’s “Adult Use of Marijuana Act” (AUMA) (California Health and Safety Code [HSC] sections 11357-11362.9) permits adults 21 years of age or older to possess and use marijuana for recreational purposes. Fortunately, AUMA does not alter the rights of California employers to maintain […]
HOW TO RISE ABOVE THE HAZE In November 2016, California voters approved The Adult Use of Marijuana Act, also known as Proposition 64 (California Health and Safety Code [HSC] sections 11357-11362.9) which allows adults 21 years of age or older to possess and use marijuana for recreational purposes. Fortunately, Proposition 64 does not alter the […]
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 […]
Coordinating Employee Summer Time-Off Can Be an Exercise in Diplomacy No California employer is obligated to provide paid vacation time to its workers. However, such benefit is a common practice, promoting morale and productivity. Once a company grants paid vacation (say, one week annually), it is considered an accruing benefit, i.e., an employee earns it […]
Jerks, Introverts and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Weaving v. City of Hillsboro The ability of employers to follow the law – and of judges to enforce it – depends on clearly defined standards of responsibility and conduct. Vaguely or otherwise poorly stated rules can lead to inconsistent outcomes in very similar factual situations. This […]
Attempted Hook-Ups Can Lead to Litigation Shake-Downs Our 2010 blog “Office Holiday Survival Guide” provides a roadmap for handling alcohol at holiday office parties. By its off-the-clock and put-work-aside nature, the annual company-wide gathering may also be a prime setting for unwelcome sexual advances by employees, worse yet by managers. Such harassment is not […]
California Employers Must Pay Wages and Mileage for “Off-Hours” Work-Related Tasks In response to our article “Travel Pay in California,” a California employer has asked how he should pay his employees for time spent and for their personal vehicle mileage incurred while shopping for company supplies. Compensation for All Hours Worked: Of course, an employer […]
Harassment in the Workplace is Illegal Prevention is The Only Viable Solution Current regulations tighten trainer qualifications and impose heightened interactivity requirements, including questions that assess learning, skill-building activities and numerous hypothetical scenarios about harassment with follow-up discussion questions. We are offering an updated in-house, two-plus hour seminar, at your location, that will fulfill these […]
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 […]