Last year was a busy legislative year in California. The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements in particular spawned a host of new employment laws that took effect on January 1st. If you haven’t done so already, you should review your employee handbook and personnel policies to make sure that you are in compliance with these new laws. SB… Read More
Posts Categorized In: HR Strategy
Smart Onboarding Improves Employee Retention
Concerned about employee retention? You are not alone. A global study by McKinsey stated retention of top talent as the number one challenge CEO’s are currently facing. In a recent article in Forbes Magazine, Heidi Lynn Kurter takes a closer look at businesses with higher retention rates and how that rate is directly correlated to… Read More
Using Supply Chains to Combat Sexual Harassment
In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, New America’s Better Life Lab presented findings that sexual harassment was “severe, pervasive, and widespread” across all industries. It exists equally in both low-income and high-income jobs, and in both male-dominated and female-dominated occupations. It is, unfortunately, everywhere. That conclusion did not surprise me. What… Read More
Want Honest Employee Feedback? Try These Strategies
An article in the October 2018 issue of Entrepreneur surveyed successful entrepreneurs on one question — How do you encourage your employees to give you honest feedback? Their responses were both interesting and practical. One entrepreneur talked about the importance of establishing a culture that welcomes honest feedback. She makes it a point to ask her established… Read More
Governor Brown Signs SB 1343 Expanding Sexual Harassment Training Obligations
On September 30, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 1343 which will lower the number of employees required to trigger mandatory sexual harassment training. Currently, any California employer with 50 or more employees is required to provide at least 2 hours of sexual harassment training to all supervisory employees within 6 months of assuming… Read More
Transparent Separation: A More Humane Way to Terminate?
I came across an interesting article today in the Harvard Business Review about employee terminations. The author, who is a digital media executive and Adjunct Professor of Management at Columbia University, argues that “transparent separation” is a more humane approach to employee termination that is “highly underused given [its] low risk and great benefits.” So… Read More
Governor Brown Signs AB 2770 Making Sexual Harassment Allegations Privileged
On July 9, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 2770 which protects both sexual harassment victims and their employers from being sued for libel, slander, or defamation in connection with allegations of sexual harassment. AB 2770 also gives an employer permission to tell a prospective new employer calling for a reference that a former… Read More
Landmark Study Finds Workplace Culture Is Strongest Predictor of Sexual Harassment
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has just concluded a major study on sexual harassment. It offers some interesting new insights relevant to California employers and employees. According to the study, the strongest predictor of whether sexual harassment will occur (or not) in the workplace is the “organizational climate” of the organization. In… Read More
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Class Action Waivers
It was only a few weeks ago. California employees and their lawyers were jubilant after the CA Supreme Court delivered its game-changing Dynamex decision that made it even harder for California employers to properly classify workers as independent contractors. As a result, employment protections were extended to millions of California workers who were also given the right… Read More
What Makes a Company “Culture”?
In the current job market, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, good employees are more valuable now than perhaps ever. Almost every one of my clients is looking to hire, and almost every one looking is complaining that that they “can’t find anyone good.” It’s a seller’s market, and recruits are asking potential new employers hard… Read More
