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California

Employment Lawyer Network:
California

Joseph L. Beachboard (Editor)

California Employment Law

Joe.Beachboard@OgletreeDeakins.com
(213) 239-9800

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Joseph L. Beachboard is a nationally recognized expert on employment law issues who speaks regularly at SHRM and other HR events. He also is a regular contributor to several national and California publications. In 2000, Mr. Beachboard sold The Labor Letters, Inc., a publisher of monthly employment law journals that he founded to advise human resource professionals. He is a founding member and executive director of the Management Employment Law Roundtable, a national, invitation only, organization of management labor and employment lawyers.

It was just a meeting, not false imprisonment

08/02/2019
An employee whose supervisor ordered her to take a seat in a conference room has lost her request for a trial on charges of false imprisonment.

Can we make pay raises contingent on doing charitable volunteer work?

07/30/2019
Q. Our new CEO believes in volunteering and wants to institute a new requirement that all employees volunteer at least five hours per month to be eligible for pay increases at evaluation time. She wants to provide a list of appropriate places to volunteer. Can she do this?

How rigid can our dress code be about imposing grooming standards?

07/30/2019
Q. Can we require male employees to keep their hair short? Also, can we require male employees to shave their beards?

As artificial intelligence permeates HR, regulation increases

07/30/2019
More and more organizations are beginning to use artificial intelligence tools in their workplaces—and in their HR functions. AI raises a host of issues that have prompted an array of federal and state regulations.

Tort claims possible over outrageous conduct

07/30/2019
It’s rarely a good idea for bosses to impose their beliefs on subordinates.

Work with IT to capture agreement to arbitrate

07/30/2019
Now that most hiring is handled electronically, it’s easier than ever to collect an employee’s acknowledgment that he agreed to the terms of an arbitration agreement.

Retaliation claim can live on long after original harassment claim is resolved

07/30/2019
Employees who allege harassment are protected from retaliation for filing their complaints. Punishing such an employee can amount to illegal retaliation. Even something as minor as assigning more work for the same pay can look like retaliation.

Your best legal defense: Treat all employees fairly and equitably

07/30/2019
Employers that always treat employees equally rarely lose discrimination lawsuits. That’s why HR departments should scrutinize every employment decision—hirings, promotions, demotions, firings, training assignments and so forth.

Use date-and-time-stamp to document when firing decision was really made

07/30/2019
Having proof of exactly when you recorded the need for discipline can be useful if a claim winds up in court.

‘Ministerial exception’ may not cover schools

07/30/2019
Back in 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court provided some limited protection for religious organizations in their role as employers. The court outlined a test for the exception, which consists of four factors. Here’s how that played out in a recent case.