California employers may no longer ask job applicants or potential hires about criminal convictions during the hiring process, but they may still rescind conditional offers upon learning about convictions. New legislation effective January 1, 2018 prohibits employers with five or more employees from askin about criminal convictions under three circumstances:
The New Year ushered in a number of laws increasing employee protections related to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in California. Sexual harassment training:
DetailsA Los Angeles jury has awarded a former UCLA oncologist $13 million in damages in a gender discrimination case. Dr. Lauren Pinter-Brown claimed that while she was working at UCLA, she was subjected to harsher treatment than her male colleagues and that when she did complain about her treatment, her employer retaliated against her. The…
DetailsAs of January 1, 2018, California’s small employers—those who employ 20 to 49 employees within a 75-mile radius—must provide job-protected unpaid leave for new parents to bond with a newborn child. This law is significant because it increases the number of employers who must provide parental leave. Employees of larger companies are entitled to job-protected…
DetailsAn insurance policy is supposed to provide the insured policyholder with peace of mind: the policyholder and the insurance company have a contract stating that in exchange for premium, the insurance company will pay medical bills and provide other compensation in the event of an injury to the policyholder. Insurance is the only product that…
DetailsThe Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that Allstate Corporation, the nation’s second-largest personal lines insurance company, acted in bad faith under California law by refusing to settle a motorcycle collision case. As a result of engaging in these unlawful tactics, the appellate court upheld an award of $14 million in damages to the…
DetailsInsurance companies and policyholders agree to a number of terms in an insurance contract. For example, a company might agree to insure a business’s manufacturing plant in the event of a disaster such as a flood, in exchange for the corporation paying monthly premiums to the insurance company. What’s more, every insurance policy in California…
DetailsInsurance companies adjust workers’ compensation premiums based on a company’s actual losses compared with the “expected” losses of all other similarly sized companies in the same industry. This adjustment, or experience modification, is expressed as a percentage. A company with an experience modification of more than 100% has had a greater-than-expected number of claims (a…
DetailsInsurance companies typically calculate workers’ compensation premiums based on the size of a company’s payroll and the type of work the company performs. Most companies’ premiums are also adjusted by applying an experience modification, which is expressed as a percentage. This modification adjusts the premium up or down depending on the company’s workers’ compensation claims…
DetailsWorkers’ compensation insurance is required of all California employers—even those who only employ one person, part-time. The policy serves as a social safety net to provide compensation for employees who become injured on the job and also limits the liability of employers if an employee sues over workplace-related injuries. Workers’ compensation insurance premiums are collected…
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