Whistleblowers, who are individuals who report a person or organization engaged in an allegedly illicit activity, are protected from workplace retaliation under a number of federal and state laws, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank, the Clean Air Act, the California Whistleblower Protection Act, and many others. In other words,…
As we discussed at length in this post, this year we will see substantial changes to FEHA that will affect business owners across the country, including in California. To get specific, FEHA’s new regulations set forth that, as of April 1, 2016, employers must have anti-discrimination and harassment policies that: · Are in writing. · …
2016 is a busy year in the often-changing world of California employment law. We have discussed many of the updates employers need to be aware of here (think minimum wage increase, the Fair Pay Act, changes to Unruh, and more). The newest change that California businesses need to be aware of involves changes to the…
Retaliation in the workplace, whether imagined or not, continues to account for almost half of all employment claims filed with the EEOC. Last year, in 2015, 44.5% of the charges filed were for retaliation. In other words, a majority of disgruntled employees claim not that they were discriminated against, but that they received adverse treatment…
In our technologically-driven world, many California employers have the ability to monitor their employees’ whereabouts through the use of GPS – but does that mean they should? GPS tracking has been a reality for several years. Through the use of GPS devices in vehicles, employers have been able to keep track of their employees’ locations…
Tis the season for political debates. Unless you’re running a political campaign or consulting group, your employees’ political view can run the gamut. With the potential for heated debates over candidates and the issues they stand for to lead to hurt feelings and, in some cases, claims of harassment and discrimination, a California employer needs…
Tech incubators abound these days, especially in and around Silicon Beach. These ‘technology campuses’ allow start ups to collaborate and share ideas, strategies, resources, and knowledge. And sometimes, proprietary information. When discussing their ideas with others, entrepreneurs need to be extremely mindful of the risks to their intellectual property. For many start ups, trade secrets…
Whistleblower complaints are often directed to board members or committees of the board of directors and recently, a California court ruled that whistleblowers are allowed to seek compensation from directors of a company, broadening legal protections for whistleblowers by expanding those who can be held liable in such cases. In another win for the whistleblower, the court…
2016 brought with it a host of new legislation for California employers. With the passage of the Fair Pay Act, new piece rate legislation, family time off, and the expansion of Unruh to give stronger protection to immigrants, to name a few, it is understandable if employers are having a hard time keeping up. Unfortunately,…
You’ve followed our steps on how to properly set up your new business. The next step is ensuring you have the manpower to take your business from an idea to a successful venture. And not just any type of manpower, but loyal, hard-working employees who ‘get’ your vision and work alongside you to bring it…