California lawmakers introduced two bills yesterday that would significantly restrict how employers use artificial intelligence to make employment decisions. The coordinated effort by the California Labor Federation targets...more
Here are the top 10 workplace compliance items you should tackle in February 2026, based on the latest labor and employment law updates...more
1/30/2026
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Class Action ,
Covered Entities ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Taxes ,
Foreign Workers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Health Plan Sponsors ,
HIPAA Privacy Rule ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Income Taxes ,
IRS ,
Job Applicants ,
Layoffs ,
Minimum Wage ,
Notice of Privacy Practices ,
Notice Requirements ,
Opinion Letter ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Payroll Periods ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Safe Leave ,
Severe Weather ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Deductions ,
Transgender ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
With layoffs trending upward in industries like manufacturing, business services, and transportation, it’s important to be aware of the legal requirements surrounding mass business closures or worker terminations. The Worker...more
California employers might be surprised by some important nuances in the “No Tax on Overtime” rules that rolled out nationwide last year and may create especially challenging obligations for employers in the Golden State. The...more
1/26/2026
/ California ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Taxes ,
Filing Requirements ,
Income Taxes ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Labor Code ,
One Big Beautiful Bill Act ,
Over-Time ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Tax Deductions ,
Tax Returns ,
Wage and Hour
In a win for California automobile dealerships and other employers, the California Court of Appeal recently confirmed that paying service technicians by the hour, plus additional bonus compensation based on completed “flag...more
11/25/2025
/ Appeals ,
Bonuses ,
California ,
Car Dealerships ,
Compensation ,
Dismissals ,
Employment Litigation ,
Labor Code ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
As hurricanes devastate the Caribbean, employers in the US are preparing for a potential impact late in the season. This detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, fully updated for 2025, addresses the workplace-related...more
10/31/2025
/ Business Closures ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Employee Assistance Programs ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hurricane Season ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Leave of Absence ,
Natural Disasters ,
Severe Weather ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
California officials just announced that the statewide minimum wage will increase for all employers to $16.90 on January 1, 2026, as required by the state’s annual inflation-based adjustment process. The Department of Finance...more
A number of California cities raised their minimum wages as of July 1 – do you need to adjust your pay practices? Check out our comprehensive chart below....more
The California Court of Appeal just handed employers a wage and hour win by ruling that meal period waivers prospectively signed by non-exempt employees are enforceable if certain criteria are met. The April 21 decision in...more
Los Angeles County’s “Fair Chance Ordinance” took effect today, requiring employers in the unincorporated areas of the county to comply with criminal background check rules that are more restrictive than those that apply...more
This detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, fully updated for 2024, addresses the workplace-related issues facing employers in the wake of hurricane-related disasters. In addition to legal obligations you need to...more
8/6/2024
/ Business Closures ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Employee Assistance Programs ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Foreign Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hurricane Season ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Leave of Absence ,
Natural Disasters ,
Severe Weather ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Visas ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
Employers finally received some welcome news from the California Supreme Court Monday and now have a better shot of successfully using a “good faith” defense to wage-and-hour lawsuits. According to the ruling, if an employer...more
A scroll through social media will quickly reveal that we’re in a new workplace era where the stigma attached to being fired or laid off is waning and many people are seeking solidarity online. In recent viral posts on...more
2/16/2024
/ Confidentiality Policies ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Layoffs ,
Protected Concerted Activity ,
Social Media Policy ,
Video Recordings
Two new employment-related cannabis laws will soon take effect in California, which may prompt changes to your employee handbooks and workplace policies. One law adds new employee protections for off-the-job cannabis use, and...more
California employers will need to make changes to their background check and criminal history review process thanks to new Fair Chance Act regulations taking effect October 1. You should begin to prepare now for these new...more
This detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions, fully updated for 2023, addresses the workplace-related issues facing employers in the wake of hurricane-related disasters. In addition to legal obligations you need to...more
8/28/2023
/ Business Closures ,
Disaster Aid ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hurricane Season ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Leave of Absence ,
Natural Disasters ,
Severe Weather ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Injury ,
Workplace Safety
The California Court of Appeal issued a blow to employers this week by taking yet another step toward eliminating their ability to round employee time punches. Although the California Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in,...more
On the heels of a rare win for employers regarding COVID-19 liability, a California appellate court was quick to remind employers in the state that there’s no shortage of pandemic-related requirements still in place. This is...more
The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank highlights many of the concerns that employers might face should they find themselves in the midst of a liquidity crisis. Making payroll, arriving at decisions related to wage...more
3/14/2023
/ Business Operations ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Furloughs ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Involuntary Reduction in Force ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Liquidity ,
Notice Requirements ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
Employers in California are frequently faced with class action lawsuits brought by current or former employees. Oftentimes, these actions are brought for alleged wage and hour violations, but we’ve seen an uptick in suits...more
Companies are increasingly faced with class actions for alleged violations of one of the “big three” —the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), or the Fair Credit Reporting Act...more
Most companies perform background checks on employees at the outset as part of the application / new hire process. A number of background check companies are now offering “continuous screening” or re-screening services as a...more
Nationwide, there are approximately 29 states and over 150 cities and counties that have adopted some form of “ban the box” legislation. Although the legislation varies from one jurisdiction to the other, typically it...more
Background checks have been a tool for employers to use to screen applicants for quite some time. However, recently there have been many changes and an increase in litigation in the background check arena....more