Category: Uncategorized

Oops! One way or another these articles never got properly categorized.

Reasonable Accomodation: Our Employee Can’t Work in the Cold; What Do We Do?

We are a cold storage facility and recently received a doctor note for one of our employees indicating that the employee must not work in the freezer area. Our facility is divided into different temperature areas but is always at a cold temperature. What do I do moving forward with this employee? Her job requires […]

DOL Nixes Salary Deductions When Exempt Worker Damages Equipment

If an exempt employee damages or loses company-issued equipment, and you decide to dock the person’s salary to pay for the loss, you risk the employee’s exempt status. That’s the conclusion of a new opinion letter from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The opinion was requested by an employer that issues cell phones and […]

Labor Department Loosens LMRDA Reporting Deadline

Under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), private-sector employers that do business with a labor organization (or a trust in which a labor organization has a business) must make an annual disclosure of payments or loans to union officials, which includes a union or its officer, agent, shop steward, employee, or other representative. […]

Employment Law Tip: 5 Tips for Drafting Bereavement Leave Policies

It’s a sad situation that every employer must face at one time or another—the death of someone in an employee’s family. While there’s no law in California requiring private employers to provide bereavement leave in this situation, most employers do allow employees a few days off when an immediate family member dies, and sometimes the […]

Short Takes: Protected Characteristics of FEHA

What are considered protected characteristics under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act? 400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read reference materials at your fingertips—fully updated! Check out the Guide to Employment Law for California Employers and get up to speed on everything you need to know. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits employment practices […]

Pregnancy Leave: How Much Leave Do Pregnant Employees Get and How Much is Paid Leave?

We have been a little inconsistent in administering pregnancy leaves. We now have several employees who are in the early stages of pregnancy or who have casually mentioned that they are ready to start their families. I’d like to get my policies clearly laid out before these employees start requesting leave. Under federal and California […]

High Court to Review Employee Reimbursement Ruling

Recently, a California employer was hauled into court by an employee because the employer refused to reimburse its workers for their actual automobile business expenses. Instead, the employer paid an increased commission that it contended was fully sufficient to cover an employee’s business use of his or her personal vehicle. An appeals court took the […]

Free Retirement-Planning Resource from DOL

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has published a new resource to help workers calculate the financial resources they’ll need to ensure a secure retirement. The new publication, “Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning,” is specially designed to assist workers who are within 10 years of retirement to calculate their […]

Short Takes: Personal Use of Company Computers

I’d like to keep my employees from using their company computers for personal stuff like e-mail. Can I prohibit this? 400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read reference materials at your fingertips—fully updated! Check out the Guide to Employment Law for California Employers and get up to speed on everything you need to know. In general, while […]

Short Takes: Use-It-or-Lose-It Vacation Policies

Can we institute a use-it-or-lose-it vacation policy to encourage our employees to take their vacations? 400+ pages of state-specific, easy-read reference materials at your fingertips—fully updated! Check out the Guide to Employment Law for California Employers and get up to speed on everything you need to know. Use-it-or-lose-it vacation policies are not allowed in California. […]