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Joseph Beachboard

Are we required to grant leave for holidays and pay extra if employees have to work?

08/22/2016
Q. Several of my employees have asked me about which holidays they have time off, and if that time will be paid. Do I have to give my employees any time off for holidays? If so, must it be paid time off?

Under California law, do victims of domestic violence have unique leave rights?

08/12/2016
Q. We suspect that one of our employees is a victim of domestic violence. What are the leave requirements for domestic violence victims under California law?

California: What wage-and-hour issues come into play when an employee telecommutes?

07/06/2016
Q. We recently started permitting one of our employees to telecommute on certain days of the week. We are concerned about tracking this employee’s hours. What wage-and-hour concerns should we consider for telecommuting employees?

Must we allow service animals at work?

04/01/2016
Q. One of our employees has requested permission to bring her therapy dog to work every day. Are we required to allow her to do this?

Can I tell employees they better not vote for a particular political candidate?

02/25/2016

Q. With the upcoming presidential elections, conversation among our employees has increased concerning the candidates and their positions on certain issues. I overheard an employee supporting Donald Trump, a candidate who goes against all of my core beliefs. Can I tell him that any employee of mine cannot support Trump?

What can I do about employee whose volunteer firefighting duties interfere with work?

01/15/2016

Q. One of my employees is a volunteer firefighter. Although I believe that volunteering is important, his absences to respond to emergencies have disrupted workplace productivity. Can I replace him or stop him from being absent from work?

Is there any requirement to pay a special premium to employees who must work on holidays?

12/21/2015
Q. This came up last month. We needed some of our employees to work during the holidays. Were we required to pay them extra for those days?

What are the limits on hours that school-age children can work in California?

12/21/2015
Q. We would like to employ some high school students to do clerical work. What are the laws regarding the number of hours we can ask them to work?

Can we require employees to pay for the portraits we display on our website?

12/21/2015
Q. I have a professional photographer come in on each employee’s first day of work to take photos for our company’s website. I ask each employee to pay half the cost of this service. A new employee is refusing to pay half the cost of his photos. Can I force him to pay?

We think an employee is stealing money; can we deduct it from her wages?

11/24/2015
Q. I have noticed that a lot of inventory is leaving the store, but the money for some items is not in the cash register. I believe one of my employees is stealing money from the cash register. Can I deduct the cash shortfall from his wages?