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Most employers (and, we would hope, their employees) have an understanding of what sexual harassment is.

You walk into the break room and a hush falls among the employees who are huddled around each other in the corner. Checking your watch, you wonder how long they’ve been in there. How long have they been neglecting their work duties to engage in what is clearly a gossip session? These employees have smirks on their faces that indicate they surely aren’t talking about work.

Recognizing the sweeping nature of Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards and the breadth of the challenge to organizations in complying with requirements in the short timeframe allowed, CalChamber has requested Cal/OSHA make changes to the Standards and extend an enforcement grace period to employers. 

Think of workplace litigation as a bitter, ugly, contested divorce—lots of drama, years of hearings, depositions, stress, and $250-an-hour attorney’s fees. Ultimately you may get rid of the employee or even escape with some sort of win, but in the end, you still lose.

In early December, Cal/OSHA doubled down on workplace safety by passing the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards requirements, the purpose of which is to keep our workplaces—and employees—as safe and illness-free as possible. 

California has passed several laws regarding COVID-19 since September, all of which will be effective by January 1, 2021. This article examines Senate Bill (SB) 1159. 

California has passed several laws regarding COVID-19 since September, all of which will be effective by January 1, 2021. This entry examines Assembly Bill 685.

The pandemic has caused innumerable changes to the workplace in 2020. One of the clearest issues for employers since the coronavirus reached the United States is an all-time high in leave-of-absence requests. 

Independent contractors have long been invaluable for businesses who can’t always employ a full staff, and it’s common for situations to pop up in which employers can’t spare a regular employee’s time to work on one-offs, seasonal jobs, or specialized tasks—to name a few examples.  

In 2020, we had to ask ourselves: Should I hire during a pandemic?