Publications

Up-to-date information for employers on topics and issues that may affect workplace operations. The posts are current as of the date of the posting.

CALIFORNIA’S SUPPLEMENTAL COVID-19 SICK LEAVE

Federal, state, and local governments have responded to hardships the Coronavirus pandemic has wrought on businesses and their workers.  Employment-related measures include new and expanded paid leave programs, in part designed to mitigate disruptions caused by school...

COVID-19 AND THE WARN ACTS

Many California employers have temporarily curtailed or even closed operations as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.  Even temporary layoffs may require employers to distribute notices under federal or California laws known as “WARN Acts.”  The Worker Adjustment and...

EMPLOYER CONTROL AND HOURS WORKED

Employers must compensate employees for the time they spend waiting for management to inspect personal property before they leave work. That is the California Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Frlekin v. Apple Inc., which is based on California’s longstanding...

DRESS CODES AND GROOMING STANDARDS

Employers may have legitimate reasons to impose a dress code, set minimum grooming standards, or even mandate uniforms. These interests range from safety to branding, or customer satisfaction. California recently passed a law that affects employers’ discretion to set...

REGULAR RATE RULE REVISIONS

The U.S. Department of Labor recently revised its regulations governing the calculation of the “regular rate of pay.” That is the hourly rate used to calculate the overtime premium due hourly workers. The revised rules are effective January 15, 2020. These amendments...

REVISITING INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENTS

California’s new independent contractor law, Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”), creates a strong legislative preference in favor of employer-employee relationships. As a result, few independent contractor relationships will be lawful after January 1, 2020. Misclassification of...

EMPLOYERS: PREPARE NOW FOR 2020

A raft of new employment laws take effect on January 1, 2020. To help employers prioritize the many required changes to policies, forms, and procedures, we provide a non-exhaustive list of matters requiring employers’ attention by year’s end.  This discussion may not...

CCPA UPDATES FOR EMPLOYERS

The California Legislature enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) in 2018 to give consumers control over the use and sale of their personal information by businesses. The law’s provisions are broad, and may affect how employers collect and store...

2019 CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT ROUNDUP (PART 2)

This article is Part 2 of a two-part series providing an overview of recent California Supreme Court decisions in employment law. We continue below with brief summaries of the California Supreme Court’s key employment law opinions during the past year.  We also...

2019 CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT ROUNDUP (PART 1)

This article is Part 1 of a two-part series providing an overview of recent California Supreme Court decisions in employment law. The California Supreme Court issued several decisions during the past year that may affect California employers.  We summarize the most...

PREPARING FOR I-9 AUDITS

News media recently highlighted workplace raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents (ICE).  Employers should know, however, that workplace raids affect far fewer employers and employees than another of ICE’s compliance enforcement methods:  the Form I-9...

STATUS OF SALARY HISTORY RESTRICTIONS

Changing laws and new court decisions have made it difficult for employers to understand when it is lawful to rely on salary history to set compensation.  California passed a law in 2017, only to amend it a year later.  A federal appellate court issued a ruling...

Shaw Law is Hiring!

X
X