Archive for DFEH

To (Require) Vaccines or Not To (Require) Vaccines: That Is the Question

California is preparing to reopen, and employers are readying to welcome their workforce back to offices.  One of the biggest questions on the minds of many business owners is how to bring their workforce back together in “real time” while still maintaining the safety of all employees, as…

Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training Materials Now Online

On May 10, 2019, we blogged about the updated requirements for California employers providing sexual harassment training to their employees, as defined in SB 1343.  You can read that blog post here.  SB 1343 requires that all employers who have 5 or more employees provide a minimum of…

Have You Completed Your Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training?

As we blogged about previously, a new law came into effect January 1, 2019 requiring California employers with five or more employees to provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training for all employees by January 1, 2020.  Prior to this new law, only employers with 50 or…

Governor Signs SB 396 to Protect Transgender Employees and Combat Discrimination

According to a 2016 study by the Williams Institute at UCLA, there are over 220,000 transgender adults in California.  California has just taken a major step towards protecting their employment rights. On October 15, 2017, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 396.  Known as the “Transgender Work Opportunity…

Governor Signs AB 1008 and Brings “Ban the Box” to Private Employers

Existing California law prohibits public employers (e.g., the State of California, cities, government agencies, public universities) from asking an applicant to disclose his/her prior conviction history until the applicant receives a qualified offer of employment.  This law is referred to as “ban the box” because it prohibits employers…

Governor Signs SB 63 Requiring Small Businesses to Offer 12 Weeks of Family Leave

Existing California law, known as the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), requires California employers with at least 50 employees to offer an eligible employee up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period (a) for the birth of a child (aka “baby bonding leave”), the adoption of…

New Regulations on Sexual Harassment Take Effect Today

The California Fair Employment & Housing Council (FEHC) recently passed new regulations that strengthen California’s Fair Employment & Housing Act (FEHA).  This is the state law banning discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace, which is already among the toughest in the nation.  These new regulations take effect…

California DFEH Issues Guidance on Transgender Workers

On February 17, 2016, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”) issued new guidelines on transgender rights in the workplace.  While most of these guidelines are common sense based on existing law, there are some concrete recommendations in the DFEH’s new brochure, including: 1. Employers should…