By Jennifer Lippi, SPHR, J.D. As an employer in California, it's important to stay informed about the various labor and employment laws that impact your business. Among these regulations are posting notice requirements, designed to ensure employees are aware of their...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP Late in August, we published the article below regarding EDD’s Paid Family Leave Grant Program. Recently, a grant program representative contacted us to let us know they have received additional funds for this program and asked...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP Earlier this month, Californians voted on Prop 32, the “Living Wage Act,” which would increase the minimum wage to $17.00 or $18.00 per hour effective immediately or on January 1, 2025, depending on the size of the employer....
By Stacey Sommerhauser, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-SCP In California, employers must adhere to several training requirements not only for managers and supervisors, but also for non-supervisory employees. With the addition of the training required under SB 553 on your...
By Jennifer L. Lippi, JD, SPHR, PHRca In 2004, the California legislature enacted the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”), which allows private employees to collect civil penalties for alleged labor code violations on behalf of the state. Fast forward 20 years,...
By Kate Kriner, PHRca As we eagerly await the changing colors of the leaves and that crispness to the air, we are reminded that the autumnal season of change extends beyond the falling leaves. With the approach of the New Year, California is set to usher in a fresh...
By Jennifer Lippi, JD, SPHR, PHRca Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (‘FEHA”), unlawful harassment is “unwanted and unwelcome” conduct based on a protected characteristic. The conduct must be so “severe and pervasive” that it alters the terms and...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP California’s Paid Family Leave Insurance program (“PFLI”), administered by the California Employment Development Department (“EDD”), is a wage replacement program much like State Disability Insurance (“SDI”). This program allows...
By Kate Kriner, PHRca We are all aware of the myriad of daily obstacles our employees face. These obstacles include family members falling ill, children having special needs, and, of course, personal health issues or stress, which can affect their mental well-being...
By Jennifer Lippi, JD, SPHR, PHRca In March of this year, the Supreme Court of California in Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors clarified when an employer’s control over an employee’s activities constitutes ‘hours worked.” The court addressed three main questions...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP In California, employers can no longer ask applicants about their criminal history before a conditional offer of employment is made. We hope this isn’t news to you. Employers in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County with...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP If you’ve ever had a pregnant employee, you know California’s Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) law has long established robust protections for pregnant employees and pregnancy-related conditions. However, recent developments at...
By Jennifer L. Lippi, JD, SPHR In late 2023, the Governor signed AB 636 which revised the information that must be included in the Labor Code Section 2810.5 “Notice to Employee.” Section 2810.5 requires that employers provide non-exempt employees with written notice...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP Are your employees paid bi-weekly (every two weeks), semi-monthly (twice per month), or weekly (52 payrolls per year)? Of all these options, you may be thinking “who would want to run payroll 52 times in a year?” However, we...
As you know, there was a significant update to the California Paid Sick Leave (PSL) law in SB 616, effective January 1, 2024. As we have been assisting our clients with updating their policies, an additional question has been asked by several of our clients. You may...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP Top 10 Things on the 2024 HR To-Do List Holiday greetings to all. As the year end approaches (where did 2023 go?), you may be wondering what should be on your top 10 list of HR things to do for 2024. Here are our suggestions:...
Getting into the Weeds on SB 553- California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Standard By Jennifer L. Lippi, JD, SPHR, PHRca Earlier this month, in our 2024 legal update, we highlighted the key requirements of SB 553, which is California’s new workplace violence...
Artificial Intelligence has Entered the Chat… Kate Kriner, PHRca Artificial Intelligence or “AI” might be the word of 2023 (even though forms of AI have been around since the 1950s). Most recently Generative AI (ChatGPT being a well-known example) has been the topic...
By Laurie Nooren, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-CP For years, California courts have allowed the practice of rounding in/out times for the day up to the nearest quarter of an hour. This was before any real technology was available that allowed employers to easily calculate hours...
By Stacey Sommerhauser, SPHR, PHRca, SHRM-SCP The courts have been busy this summer as another case was decided, this time in the area of reimbursement of expenses for employees working remotely. If you have been our client for any amount of time, you know we have...