Posts Tagged ‘employer best practices’
MANDATORY PAID SICK LEAVE FOR CALIFORNIA EMPLOYEES
Law Goes into Effect July 1, 2015 As reported in “Will California Employers Have to Cough Up Paid Sick Leave?”, the proposed Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (Assembly Bill [AB] 1522) was the California Legislature’s third – and now successful – attempt to provide such benefits. Governor Brown signed that measure into law […]
ANGER MANAGEMENT
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 […]
TO VAPE OR NOT TO VAPE
Should Employers Ban E-Cigarettes in the Workplace? Given the widespread popularity of electronic cigarettes, more cities and states are passing legislation to address their use in the workplace. Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered and tobacco free. They vaporize a liquid nicotine solution that users inhale and then puff out (i.e., “vaping”). The exhaled water […]
AIN’S NO SUCH THING AS “FREE CALL”
Employer Must Pay Portion of Employee’s Unlimited Data Plan for Work-Related Calls The California Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of employee Colin Cochran on his class action lawsuit on behalf of 1,500 customer service managers against Schwan Home Service for reimbursement for work-related use of personal cell phones. Cochran v. Schwan’s Home Service, […]
BANNED BOX AND BEYOND
San Francisco Employers Must Give Former Convicts a Fighting Chance Joining a growing movement of 12 states and more than 60 cities with “ban the box” laws, i.e., deleting the typical criminal history check box often seen on employment applications, San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO) goes into effect August 13, 2014. Arguably the strictest […]
CLASSIFYING WORKERS, EMPLOYEES OR INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS?
New Court Decision on Delivery Drivers Shows the Issue Requires Detailed Analysis The dividing line between properly classified employees and independently contracted workers can often be about as clear as mud. The June, 2014 decision from the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Ruiz v. Affinity Logistics Corp illustrates the perils of a company’s […]
MANDATORY CHANGES TO EMPLOYEE PAMPHLETS TAKE EFFECT JULY 1, 2014
“Paid Family Leave” Program and Workers’ Comp Affected Employees covered under California’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) program may receive up to six weeks of state-funded disability benefits to take time off for baby-bonding or to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, parent or registered domestic partner. California’s Employment Development Department (EDD) administers this program […]
EEOC DOUBLES FINES FOR POSTER VIOLATIONS
Effective April 18, 2014, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) doubled the penalty for an employer’s failure to post that agency’s “Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law” notice, from $110 to $210 per violation.See, 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) section 1601.30(b). The required notice includes the basics for: The 1964 Civil Rights Act (Title […]
AMENDED MINIMUM WAGE NOTICE MUST BE POSTED BY JULY 1, 2014
As recently covered in our California Minimum Wage Increasing blog, California’s minimum will rise to $9.00 an hour on July 1, 2014. Also by July 1, California employers must prominently post the new Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Minimum Wage Order (MW-2014) specifying this $9.00 per hour minimum requirement as well as the $10.00 per […]
EMPLOYER DUTIES TO FIGHT RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE
Companies Must Uphold Worker Rights to Religious Garb or Grooming Even if It Means Losing Business The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing the federal laws prohibiting discrimination in commerce, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, nicknamed “Title VII.” In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the EEOC has fielded […]