Insights

October 1, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Governor Signs SB 1383 and Extends CFRA Leave to Employees at Small Businesses

On September 17, 2020, Governor Newsom signed into law SB 1383, radically altering the business and employment law landscape for small California employers. SB 1383 – which goes into effect on January 1, 2021 – significantly expands the reach of California’s Family Rights Act (CFRA), now mandating that... READ MORE

September 27, 2020 by Samantha May

How to Prevent WFH (Work from Home) from Becoming BFH (Burnout from Home)

When you’re working from the comfort of your own home (and perhaps – no judgment here! – your pajamas), and sparing yourself the hectic mornings of the past (think alarm snoozes and jam-packed highways), one would assume that you’re doing your mental health a favor, right? Wrong. A... READ MORE

September 17, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Governor Newsom Expands COVID-19 Leave Entitlements for Many California Workers

On September 9, 2020, Governor Newsom signed AB 1867 into law, which, in part, supplements the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) enacted earlier this year. (For background on the FFCRA, see our previous blog posts here, here, and here). Specifically, AB 1867 creates Supplemental Paid Sick... READ MORE

September 8, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Governor Newsom Signs AB 2257 Granting New and Expanded Exemptions to California’s Independent Contractor Law (AB 5)

As readers of this blog know, one year ago California’s Governor signed AB 5 into law, which mandated the “ABC Test” for determining whether a worker was an employee or an independent contractor. The signing of AB 5 into law was a watershed moment for California businesses and... READ MORE

September 3, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

U.S. Supreme Court: No Separation of Church and Employer

In July, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on two important cases relating to religion and employment. In both decisions, the Court came down squarely on the side of religious freedom, ruling in favor of employers. In Our Lady of Guadalupe School, two teachers brought employment discrimination claims against their... READ MORE

August 27, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Quit When You’re Ahead – An Expensive Lesson for One California Employer

In case there was any doubt, the California Court of Appeal recently delivered an expensive reminder of its pro-employee stance. Timothy King, a former Regional President for U.S. Bank, was recently awarded $15.6 million in damages based on a jury’s finding that U.S. Bank defamed and wrongfully terminated... READ MORE

August 22, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Reopening Safely: The California “COVID-19 Playbook” for Employers

On July 28, the State of California published a helpful resource for employers – the “COVID-19 Employer Playbook: Supporting a Safer Environment for Workers and Customers.” Many of our clients have confessed to feeling some measure of “COVID Weariness” – the feeling of being overwhelmed and exhausted by... READ MORE

August 13, 2020 by Samantha May

The “How” and the “What” of Crisis Communication

Let’s face it: the global health crisis brought about by COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon. Here in California, we are almost 6 months into “shelter-in-place,” with no signs of any major changes coming. For most companies, the earlier steps taken in response to the crisis were, understandably,... READ MORE

August 5, 2020 by Michaela Hug-Nelsen

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... READ MORE

July 31, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

Note to Employers: Craft Your Arbitration Agreements Carefully

A recent Court of Appeal decision underscores the importance of reviewing severability provisions in arbitration agreements. In Kec V. Superior Court, Plaintiff Nichole Kec brought individual, class, and Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) claims against her former employer, defendants R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Reynolds American, Inc. (“Reynolds”),... READ MORE

July 23, 2020 by Jeffrey S. Sloan

The Skies Just Got Friendlier for Employers

On June 29, 2020, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of employers in a trio of cases involving flight attendants and pilots who brought various wage and hour claims (both individual and PAGA) against their respective airline employers for non-compliant wage statements and other violations of California’s... READ MORE

July 16, 2020 by Samantha May

Schoolyard Bullying Minus the Schoolyard: How to Mitigate Toxicity in the Virtual Workplace

As an employer, you may think that, during this time of indefinite virtual work, the lack of a shared workspace would mean less bullying amongst your employees. With no common space to congregate, and with less colleague-to-colleague face-to-face time, the sample size for toxic workplace culture would have... READ MORE

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