The Wage Theft Criminalization Bill that went into effect at the start of 2022 allows for new penalties against employers, meaning that you could be convicted of a felony and sentenced to jail time if found guilty of wage theft. Now is not the time to be caught out of compliance, so we’re clearing up some specifics on how the bill works and how you can ensure your business stays in the clear. What qualifies as Read More

For California business owners, figuring out overtime exemption laws can be difficult. There are a long set of qualifications for who is exempt and from what they are exempt. These exemption laws were created to make it easier for employees to work odd hours at their own discretion when circumstances required such flexibility. Today we’ll be clarifying the overtime exemption laws so your business can ensure it Read More

The most notable California law concerning COVID-19 reporting in the workplace, AB 685, recently got an update in Sacramento. In October 2021, Gov. Newsom signed AB 654. The bill, which updates many parts of AB 685, went into effect immediately and is still applicable to most California employers.  More Employees Need to Know About COVID-19 Infections Before AB 654, employers only needed to notify Read More

In 2018, the #MeToo movement was shining a light on sexual harassment in the workplace. The California legislature produced one of the nation’s strongest legislative responses. The law, which is now codified in the California Code of Civil Procedure, forbids employers from including confidentiality provisions in separation agreements with respect to certain employee claims.  The 2018 law, however, only applied to Read More

Generally speaking, employers offer a variety of incentives because they want their employees to continue working—productively—for a long time. While it is sometimes necessary to take action when an employee’s performance is poor, keeping your staff long-term and helping them stay motivated makes good business sense. The average cost of onboarding a single new employee is around $4,000.00. So the right kind of Read More

In July 2021, when most California employers were trying to make sense of the state’s Emergency Temporary Standards surrounding COVID-19, the state Supreme Court issued a ruling every employer in the state should know and understand. Case Background The case of Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, LLC involved a former California bartender whose employer paid her premium payments instead of meal and rest breaks as Read More

To help California employees fend off economic instability as the pandemic lingers in some corners of the state, the powers that be in Sacramento approved an additional 80 hours of paid leave for those affected by the virus. The program, dubbed Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL), applies to public and private employers with at least 26 employees.  The paid leave does not apply to independent contractors. Read More