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California

What leave must we provide for em­­ployees who are victims of domestic violence?

03/23/2015
Q. An employee notified me that she was a victim of domestic violence and needs to take some time off work. What leave am I required to allow her?

More answers on California’s new Paid Sick Leave Law

03/23/2015
Employers are still adjusting to the requirements under California’s Paid Sick Leave Law. This month, we offer even more information to help you comply.

DOL cites Silicon Valley firm that paid $1.21 per hour

03/23/2015
San Jose-based Electronics for Imaging (EFI) will have to pay $40,156 to eight workers it brought in from India. A U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation found the company required workers to put in as many as 122 hours per week and paid as little as the equivalent of $1.21 per hour in Indian rupees.

New California unemployment insurance deadlines coming July 1

03/23/2015
Effective July 1, 2015, deadlines for reconsideration or appeal of unemployment insurance benefit rulings, determinations, computation or administrative law judge decisions will be extended from 20 days to 30 days.

New claims can pull in past events in harassment case

03/23/2015
Federal government employees who want to bring discrimination and harassment charges must complain to their agency’s equal employment opportunity officer within 45 days of the alleged event. However, when it comes to so-called continual violations, even one incident occurring within that 45-day period will bring earlier incidents into play.

If you provide on-site housing, any injuries may go beyond workers’ comp

03/23/2015

Some employers provide rental housing so employees can live near their work sites. If you do, be aware that employee injuries that happen near that housing can open a legal can of worms that will leave you wishing you only had to deal with a workers’ compensation claim.

Heard that story of unfair treatment before? You might be dealing with a serial retaliator

03/23/2015

Ever felt déjà vu when an employee claimed she was suffering retaliation because of a prior discrimination or harassment complaint? If what the employee describes sounds familiar, watch out. You may have a serial retaliator on your hands, and those earlier incidents may end up being used to prove retaliation has occurred again.

Manage interplay of all state and federal laws affecting pregnant employee’s leave rights

03/23/2015
California has one of the nation’s most complex set of laws covering employees who need time off for illness, disability, pregnancy and parenting. Federal and state laws combine to create a complicated mess.

Workers can be on-call during rest periods

03/23/2015

Under California law, employees must receive a rest break for every four hours worked and employers may not require employees to work during their breaks. But what about employees who are allowed to take breaks and do what they wish during that time but still have to respond to calls if necessary? In a recent case, security guards asked that question because they had to carry their radios during breaks in case they were suddenly needed.

Trouble looms when rookie replaces old pro

03/23/2015
Here’s a warning for new supervisors who want to replace long-term employees with individuals of their own choosing: They could be courting a discrimination lawsuit if the replacements belong to a different protected class and aren’t as qualified as those being replaced.