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California

Employment Lawyer Network:
California

Joseph L. Beachboard (Editor)

California Employment Law

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

Click for Full Bio

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.

How much time off for children’s school activities?

09/01/2007

Q. With school starting, can you remind us what our obligations are to grant workers time off to participate in their children’s school-related activities? …

Must we grant time off for rehab?

09/01/2007

Q. An employee recently confided to us that he has a drug problem and would like to take several weeks off to participate in a rehabilitation program. Does the California Labor Code require us to grant him time off?

Drug testing: Minimize lawsuit risk with smart policy

09/01/2007

You have the right to demand a drug-free workplace, but employees also have reasonable rights to privacy. That’s why drug testing and substance-abuse prevention programs carry big-time legal risks if they’re not managed properly. Employers can safely administer drug testing before hiring someone, during a fitness-for-duty test and after a preventable accident …

Unlimited vacation time: Part of the ‘Freedom culture’ at Netflix

08/01/2007

At Los Gatos, CA-based Netflix, employees can take as much vacation time as they want. No kidding …

Make sure you can track when downsizing decision was made

08/01/2007

Employees suddenly confronted with unpleasant alterations in their duties, responsibilities or schedules may look for reasons to avoid making the change …

Not all workplace affairs create a hostile environment

08/01/2007

While they may make other employees uncomfortable and probably shouldn’t be encouraged, affairs between co-workers (or even between supervisors and subordinates) don’t always mean the rest of the work force is laboring in a hostile work environment …

Strong ‘No violence’ policy relies on enforcement

08/01/2007
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Medical assessments should stick to the job, not generalities

08/01/2007

If the ability to perform certain physical tasks is absolutely essential to one of the jobs in your workplace, tread carefully when it comes to medical evaluations. The ADA makes it illegal to “regard” persons as disabled …

As the employer, it’s up to you to prove overtime exempt status

08/01/2007

Under California law, employees are entitled to overtime payments unless the law exempts them from protection. But It’s up to employers to justify each exemption they claim …

Wrongful termination scores $329,000 for Sonoma State coach

08/01/2007

A California jury has awarded more than $300,000 to a former Sonoma State University softball coach who claimed that she was wrongfully fired ….