How to Negotiate a Severance Agreement in California
If you’ve been offered a severance agreement in California, you may wonder how to navigate the negotiation process to protect your rights and secure the best outcome. Here’s a concise guide to help you handle this critical situation effectively. Understand the Basics A severance agreement is a legal contract that typically offers compensation in exchange for waiving certain rights, such […]
Building a Strong Case for Wage Theft
Wage theft is a serious problem that can affect workers across various industries. It occurs when employers fail to pay employees the wages they are entitled to by law. Common examples include unpaid overtime, withheld tips, unauthorized deductions, or failure to pay the minimum wage. If you believe you are a victim of wage theft, taking the […]
Handling Workplace Retaliation After Reporting Discrimination
Reporting workplace discrimination is a brave step toward creating a safer, fairer work environment, but unfortunately, it can sometimes lead to retaliation from employers or colleagues. If you’re facing workplace retaliation after speaking out, understanding your options and rights is key to protecting yourself and seeking justice. Recognize Retaliation Workplace retaliation can take many different forms, such as being denied a promotion, […]
How to File a Workplace Harassment Claim: Avoiding Common Pitfalls
If you’ve been the victim of workplace harassment, taking the right steps to file a claim is crucial. However, many employees unknowingly make mistakes that can weaken their case. Here’s a guide on how to avoid common pitfalls when filing your harassment claim. Not Documenting Everything One of the biggest mistakes is failing to keep detailed records of […]
A step-by-step guide for filing a wage claim against an employer
California laws have made minimum wage laws pretty straightforward and easy to follow, with two rules that cannot be broken under any circumstance: In the event that your employer fails to meet these payment standards, you have the right to file a wage claim for unpaid compensation charges with the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement […]
What are the most common ways workers are cheated out of wages in California?
Although it is possible that employees’ hour calculations mismatch the actual amount of hours an employee worked, which leads to unpaid hours, it is not uncommon that some companies or managers purposefully try to cheat workers out of their rightfully earned wages. In legal terms, this is known as wage theft and it is an […]
Are there conditions that justify employers deducting wages from an employee?
According to California laws, wages earned via work are considered the employee’s full property. This means that, even when following legal procedures, employers may only make deductions from employees’ wages under certain specific circumstances, which include the following: Though the labor code allows a limited amount of pay deductions without an employee’s agreement for reasons […]
How to Handle Workplace Discrimination on the basis of Political Affiliation?
California laws, specifically the Labor Code 1101 and 1102, explicitly prohibits employers from partaking in any form of discrimination based on political affilliation, which these laws explain can happen in three main ways: Even if Political affiliation does not fall under the strict definition of a protected class in California, state-wide political workplace retaliation laws […]
Review of privacy laws likely to increase lawsuits related to monitoring technology
Following the pandemic-driven increase in remote work, California employers have begun implementing a variety of technology tools to monitor the activities of their employees. From monitors to keyboards and other productivity programs on phones and laptops and other monitoring tools, there are numerous options that allow you to monitor the activities and productivity of employees […]
Four new employment laws to take effect in January 2023
A new year brings with it new labor laws. California employers will want to start reviewing employee policies and handbooks early, so they are adequately prepared to comply with these new laws when most of them go into effect on January 1, 2023. AB 1041 (Application of the definition of “family” in relation to medical […]