As the devastating wildfires continue to burn across Southern California, businesses and employers in the area face unprecedented challenges. The fires, which have scorched more than 30,000 acres of land and have now lasted more than two weeks, are wreaking havoc on both communities and workplaces. With the situation continuing to evolve, employers must be mindful of the legal rights of their employees, especially when it comes to safety, leaves of absence, and workplace accommodations during such a crisis.

The following are key employment rights employers need to consider as they navigate the impact of the ongoing wildfires on their workforce.Continue Reading Critical Considerations for Employers During Southern California’s Wildfire Crisis: Supporting the Workforce and Business Continuity

In 2019 California enacted Assembly Bill 51 (AB51) that would impose criminal sanctions on employers who required employees to sign arbitration agreements as a condition of employment. From there, this highly controversial law has followed a circuitous route.Continue Reading A Win for California Employers: Employers Can Require Their Employees to Sign Arbitration Agreements as a Condition of Employment

In the past two years, California lawmakers have focused their efforts on resolving the negative effects of COVID-19 and its variants, placing primary responsibility on employers. Several laws were recently enacted that impact employers in the context of workers’ compensation, workplace safety, and particularly, paid sick leave. California’s paid sick leave laws are daunting. The laws have become increasingly complex with unclear requirements. The following is a summary of the major paid sick leave laws including some of the compliance issues:
Continue Reading The California 2022 Trifecta of Paid Sick Leave Laws: Employers Beware

The emergence of COVID-19 has changed the workplace as we once knew it. California employers need to be prepared for unprecedented compliance challenges in recent legislation related to the ongoing pandemic, expanding leave protections, wage and hour compliance risks, and much more. Employers will need to review and adapt their policies and procedures in order to keep up in the coming year with California’s ever-changing employment laws.
Continue Reading California Employment Law Alert: New Employment Laws Effective On or Before January 1, 2021