As a result of SB 553, which we blogged about here, on June 1, 2024 most California employers will be required to establish and implement a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan that includes several new mandates. A Written Workplace Violence Plan That plan must be in writing and must contain the following: Names or job… Read More
HR & Employment Law Blog
Landmark Supreme Court Decision Expands Whistleblower Protections
In a major victory for whistleblowers, the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of Trevor Murray, a former UBS employee who was fired after reporting what he believed to be illegal activity. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Murray v. UBS expands protections for whistleblowers under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), making it easier for employees… Read More
The Most Important Employment Laws You Need to Know? Let’s Ask AI
The popularity and accessibility of artificial intelligence (“AI”) tools, such as ChatGPT and Bard, have grown exponentially this year. However, the careless use of these tools in legal settings can lead to embarrassment and even sanctions. To test how reliable AI is for even basic legal research, we asked four popular AI search engines to… Read More
California Employers Face a Slew of New Employment Laws in 2024
New Laws That Take Effect on January 1, 2024 SB 616 (Paid Sick Leave) SB 616 significantly expands California’s existing state paid sick leave law and provide more generous paid sick leave terms to employees. Under SB 616, an employee is now entitled to a minimum of 5 days or 40 hours of paid sick… Read More
Heads Up! Employers Now Required to Use a New Form I-9
In July of this year, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. The new version of Form I-9 is meant to streamline the employment eligibility verification for both the employer and the employee. As of November 1, 2023, all employers are required to start using the updated… Read More
Are “Stay Or Pay” Clauses The New Non-Competes?
Today’s New York Times contains an excellent article on the increasing use of so-called “stay or pay” clauses in employment agreements. Once an employee signs a contract with a “stay or pay” clause, if that employee quits before X months/years (each contract is different), the employee will have to repay the employer for the costs… Read More
Firing Employee for Misconduct and Poor Performance Not Discriminatory, Even if Misconduct Related to Employee’s Religion
Ronald Hittle was the Fire Chief in Stockton, California. In May 2010, the City received an anonymous letter describing Hittle as a “corrupt, racist, lying, religious fanatic who should not be allowed to continue as the Fire Chief of Stockton.” It was later revealed that the letter came from a high-ranking manager in the Fire… Read More
California’s Supreme Court Erases Viking River’s PAGA Victory for Employers
The California Supreme Court recently issued its highly anticipated decision in Adolph v. Uber and answered the key question of whether the California courts would follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Viking River. The California Supreme Court’s answer was a resounding “NO.” Now, after Adolph v. Uber, an employee whose individual PAGA claims are… Read More
Supreme Court: Employers Must Accommodate Employees’ Religious Practices
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled, in Groff v. DeJoy, that employers have a heightened duty to accommodate their employees’ religious practices.