What’s New?

California employers have long been subject to the state’s Fair Chance Act, which restricts when and how they may consider an applicant’s criminal history. But in 2025, new local laws—especially in Los Angeles County—are adding complex and high-stakes requirements...

Summer vacations are in full swing, and so are wage-hour risks for California employers. Whether it's a quick email from the beach or a work call squeezed in between sightseeing, even a few minutes of off-the-clock work by a non-exempt employee can result in...

Picture this: An employee stops showing up to work. No call, no text, no explanation. Frustrating, right? That’s why so many employers bury “job abandonment” policies in their handbooks—often declaring that disappearing for three consecutive days without notice means...

Ask any employment attorney, and you’ll hear the same mantra: “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.” For HR executives, this isn’t merely a compliance slogan—it’s a strategic imperative. Documentation sits at the intersection of legal risk management,...

Heads up, HR leaders. On July 1, 2025, California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) released the official Model Crime Victims Notice, titled “Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Right to Leave and Accommodations.” This notice is now live on the CRD’s...

Earlier this month, a coalition of 70 U.S. House Democrats led by Reps. Mark Takano, Bobby Scott, and Suzanne Bonamici accused Andrea Lucas—the current Acting Chair of the EEOC—of downgrading and dismissing discrimination claims based on gender identity. They allege...

Earlier this year, we covered Assembly Bill 2499, a significant new law expanding workplace protections for victims of crime. As of January 1, 2025, California employers have several new obligations—including providing written notice to employees about their rights...

The past few weeks have been busy with EEO developments in California and under federal law. California—CRD Issues a New Age Discrimination Fact Sheet In May 2025, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) issued a fact sheet addressing the legal protections...

With summer unofficially starting and temperatures in areas throughout California recently reaching near or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Cal/OSHA is urging employers to help protect workers from heat illness at both outdoor and indoor worksites. Because heat illness...

Since April 2024, state employees have been required to return to the office at least two days per week. However, in March of this year, Governor Newsom announced that, effective July 1, 2025, most state employees must be onsite four days per week. Limited telework...