Fired While on Medical Leave? Learn About Your Rights! One night, while slicing the dinner roast, you accidentally cut yourself on the palm. Your spouse rushes you to the emergency room, where you get stitches and a two-day course of antibiotics. Your injured hand temporarily prevents you from performing your work duties as a parts…
Is Your Company Reimbursing You for Work-From-Home Expenses? Working from home? Many California employers transitioned to a remote workforce after the pandemic began. Some say that they intend to maintain this practice moving forward, citing benefits like happier employees and decreased operating expenses. If you’re an employee, the second benefit may worry you. Does your…
Independent Contractor or Employee? In January, the US Department of Labor announced a final rule that clarifies the standard for determining independent contractor vs. employee status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This final version of the regulation, which takes effect on March 8, now determines whether a worker is an employee entitled to…
Can Your Employer Require You to Get the Covid-19 Vaccine? When the COVID-19 vaccine came out, many California workers couldn’t wait to get it. But not everyone. Maybe you’re concerned that the vaccine came out too quickly and could have long-term side effects that aren’t apparent right now. If so, you’re not alone: last December,…
New California Minimum Wage Laws for 2021 If you’re an employee, in most cases there’s a minimum amount that your employer must pay you. That amount is called the “minimum wage.” The issue of raising the minimum wage has become a hot topic across the country. Advocates for raising the minimum wage argue that everyone…
What California Employees Need to Know About COVID Safety Regulations in the Workplace California employees should know their rights when it comes to COVID safety regulations approved by Cal/OSHA for workplaces. At the end of November, the California Division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) approved an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that applies…
App-Based Employees in California: What Does Prop 22 Mean For You? At last count, over 200,000 Californians make money driving for Uber. Are they employees or independent contractors? The recent passage of Prop 22 is supposed to settle the issue but, instead, it raises more questions. On one hand, Prop 22 exempts companies like Uber,…
Is Your Company Reimbursing You for Work-From-Home Expenses? Are you owed expense reimbursements from your company? Many California employers transitioned to a remote workforce after the pandemic began. Some say that they intend to maintain this practice moving forward, citing benefits like happier employees and decreased operating expenses. If you’re an employee, the second benefit…
COVID-19 Sick Pay: What California Employees Need to Know The impact of COVID-19 on California workplaces left employees across the state with questions. What happens if you contract the virus and have to stay home to recover? Do you lose all that income if your employer doesn’t offer any kind of paid sick leave? For…
Sexual Harassment: Your Rights in a Hostile Workplace Perhaps you go to work purely to pay the bills. Maybe your current position is a strategic career move. Whatever your reason for working where you do, you’re entitled to do it without being sexually harassed. Unfortunately, a lot of bosses and coworkers don’t get that message.…