On March 27, 2020, Congress voted to enact The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on the same day. The CARES Act is the most recent in a wave of federal legislation passed in an effort to counter the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic…. Read More
HR & Employment Law Blog
U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on the FFCRA
As we discussed in a previous blog post which you can find here, the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) created two new paid leave entitlements employees working in companies with fewer than 500 employees. We are referring to these new entitlements as Emergency FMLA Leave and Emergency Paid Sick Leave, respectively. Since the… Read More
When “Shelter At Home” Includes “Work From Home” – Legal and Practical Issues
Many businesses have some experience with employees working remotely whether from allowing certain employees to telecommute, employees traveling for business, or otherwise. Until recently, though, very few California employers had 100% of their workforce working remotely. The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly changed that. Today—and for the indefinite future—all California employers in “non-essential” businesses who are… Read More
New Guidance On Paid Sick Leave for San Francisco Employees
On March 24, 2020, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (“OLSE”) issued guidance regarding how employees can use paid sick leave they have accrued pursuant to San Francisco’s local ordinance during the local health emergency San Francisco is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Under the San… Read More
The “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” Creates Two New Kinds of Paid Leave
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) into law. This post is focused on two provisions that will be of particular importance to employers. EMERGENCY EXPANSION OF THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT Under a portion of the FFCRA called The Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act… Read More
The Coronavirus Pandemic — What Employers Need to Know
The novel coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) is impacting nearly every facet of daily life in most California communities, and employers are struggling to balance the competing interests of protecting their employees and their businesses while also doing their part to halt the spread of this highly contagious virus. On top of that difficult balancing,… Read More
Extreme Makeover 2020, HR Edition
While 2020 isn’t quite as futuristic as is often portrayed in cinema—flying cars, robots aplenty—it has brought dramatic change to best practices in HR. Author and podcaster Lars Schmidt of Fast Company summarizes HR’s new look in a recent article. Inclusion First, inclusion—which we previously blogged about here—is replacing diversity as a key component of… Read More
What’s in a Name? The Devil Is In The Details
Recently, a California appellate court issued a clear reminder to employers that paying meticulous attention to detail is required in complying with California’s wage and hour laws. In Noori v. Countrywide Payroll & HR Solutions, Inc. (CA3 C084800, 12/26/19), the Third Appellate District closely analyzed the Labor Code’s requirements regarding itemized wage statements and concluded… Read More
WHO Classifies Burnout as an Occupational Syndrome
When it comes to wellness in the workplace, responsibility seems to be shifting across the board from the employee to the employer. Similar to workplace stress—which we recently blogged about here—employee burnout is yet another issue that is increasingly being viewed as an issue that employers should be working to identify and combat. As Harvard… Read More
McDonald’s Settles Class Action Wage/Hour Case for $26 Million
McDonald’s recently agreed to pay $26 million to settle allegations that it had violated California’s wage and hour laws. The case was pending for 7 years and involved a class of 38,000 cooks and cashiers working at corporate-owned locations throughout California. McDonald’s always denied any violations of the California Labor Code, but McDonald’s nonetheless finally… Read More
