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Q&A

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.

Call of (jury) duty: What must we do?

12/22/2016
Q. What are California employers’ obligations with regard to workers who get called on for jury duty?

What kind of pregnancy and family leave rights do gestational surrogates have in California?

12/22/2016
Q. One of our employees is a gestational surrogate for a woman who cannot carry a child. Is our employee entitled to pregnancy disability, FMLA or CFRA leave as a surrogate?

Is it legal to claw back maternity leave pay?

12/06/2016
Q. Our maternity leave policy offers paid leave for female employees who plan to return to work after the birth of the child. If the employee quits before returning to work, she’s required to reimburse the company for the paid leave. Is this lawful?

All about California’s WARN Act

11/28/2016
What are our notice requirements? … What must WARN notices say? … What if we don’t give notice?

Is it legal for us to ban all guns at work?

11/14/2016
Q. Many of our employees bring their hunting rifles and shotguns to work, especially on Fridays during hunting season. We generally prohibit guns or other weapons in the workplace. Can we stop employees from bringing their guns to work?

What can we do? We suspect one of our employees is often drunk at work

11/14/2016
Q. We have an employee who often appears to be inebriated at work. Can we require that he take an alcohol test? Can we require that he get into a rehab program to keep his job?

Can I really not smoke in my own office?

10/27/2016
Q. I recently relocated my business to California from a foreign country. I heard that I am not allowed to smoke in my office. Is this true?

Who needs to receive anti-harassment training in California?

10/27/2016
Q. My business conducts mandatory sexual harassment training for our employees. Which of our employees must attend our sexual harassment training, and what formats can we use to provide these trainings?