All California employees eligible under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) have the right to overtime pay. The problem is that employers do not always fulfill their financial obligations to their employees, whether negligently or intentionally. Although the FLSA...
Employment Law
Can your employer tell you not to discuss wages?
The company you work for hires a new person who is going to be doing a similar job. Your boss brings you into the office to tell you about the hiring. On your way out the door, they smile and mention, almost as a throwaway comment, that it would be best if you just...
How a work attendance policy can lead to disability discrimination
Disability discrimination comes in many forms, some of which are subtler and therefore more difficult to both identify and prove. A common cause of disability discrimination claims involves companies that won't accommodate workers by providing assistive technology or...
Who is responsible when a customer harasses you at work?
Make no mistake, some workplaces can be very chaotic not because of the work schedule, but rather because of the nature of the clients you are dealing with. While most clients are generally respectful, it is not uncommon to encounter a few who have no respect for your...
Why an efficient HR department is so important
The structure and hierarchy of companies can be complex, particularly in larger organizations. Employees with different roles and contractual terms have to be managed, and this is where the Human Resources (HR) department comes in. The HR department of your company...
What is workplace retaliation?
Many laws protect employees from discrimination and harassment in their workplace. When these laws are broken, typically, the offenders face some kind of repercussion, such as termination or legal fines. As a result of a discrimination or harassment claim, employers...
Can an employer prevent you from praying?
California is a diverse state and one that generally prides itself on being welcoming to people of all backgrounds. The majority of workplaces also do their best to try and assert the same standards. Sadly, there are occasions where workplaces fail in this regard....
How soon should you get your final check in California?
You spent the last few months feeling like it was time to go in a new direction with your career. When you finally went in to tell your employer that you were quitting, it certainly wasn't news to you. But your employer didn't take it as well as you'd hoped. They...
Supreme Court deals a blow to unique California labor law
With all the controversial decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in the final weeks of its term, an 8-1 decision on a California labor law case got comparatively little attention. The high court ruled that private lawsuits representing a group of employees...
Can your employer discipline you for refusing overtime?
There are laws at the federal level that protect workers from mistreatment by employers, and California also has numerous state laws that expand on those federal protections. The right to overtime pay helps ensure that workers who have to put in more than the typical...