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California

Consistently apply work rules to steer clear of charges of discrimination

02/27/2017
Beware making exceptions to the rules. That can look like discrimination if a disgruntled employee who doesn’t receive the same exception spots a pattern suggesting unfair favoritism.

Court expands ADA protection, OKs transfer away from specific location and supervisor

02/27/2017
A federal court in California has opened the door for mentally disabled employees seeking accommodations to request a transfer away from specific locations and individuals.

‘Make work’ accommodation may backfire

02/27/2017
Here’s a cautionary tale for employers tempted to create a “make work” accommodation designed to drive a disabled worker to quit. Courts are likely to take a dim view of such a cynical strategy.

Never ignore accommodation request

02/27/2017
Ignoring a request for accommodations may give the employee grounds for a lawsuit, even if it turns out that an accommodation wasn’t required.

Can I cap how much vacation employees can accrue and still comply with California law?

01/30/2017
Q. My employees receive one week of paid vacation per year. Since I cannot have a use-it-or-lose-it policy, can I just cap vacation accrual at five days?

Is there a problem with requiring applicants to meet height and weight standards?

01/30/2017
Q. May we impose height and weight requirements on job applicants?

OK to demand photos with applications?

01/30/2017
Q. Can we require job applicants to submit photographs with their résumés and applications?

What should we do? Only after accepting job did we figure out her husband works here

01/30/2017
Q. We recently hired an amazing applicant for a position at our large accounting firm. After signing her offer, she casually mentioned that her husband works here. We have a policy against office romances. Can we dismiss either her or her husband for this reason?

Can we urge an employee to change her name?

01/30/2017
Q. With Valentine’s Day around the corner and love in the air, I think it would be an opportune time to convince our employee to take her husband’s last name.

California localities’ minimum wage increases for 2017

01/30/2017
The California minimum wage increased on Jan. 1 to $10.50 per hour for businesses employing 26 or more employees.