Category Archives: Employment
Harassment of Disabled Employees in the Workplace
The Americans With Disabilities Act or ADA provides important protections for disabled workers. When we think of discrimination, we often think of actual discrimination, brought on by the disabled employee’s supervisors or employer. But people with disabilities also often face harassment as well as discrimination. Defining Discrimination vs Harassment Discrimination tends to mean that… Read More »
Understanding What “Unwelcome” Sexual Conduct at Work Really Is
In the law, and the way that the law is written, words matter–even small ones. So, the difference between federal law, which makes harassment based on sex illegal, and California’s law, which makes any kind of “unwelcome” sexual conduct, illegal is a big difference. It practically means that the law in California provides workers… Read More »
Can You Be Fired for Dating a Co-Worker?
The fact of the matter is that most of us will spend most of our time in our adult lives, at work. So it is no surprise that that’s where we might find our significant other, or at least, people that we might be interested in dating. But when you find someone at work… Read More »
What if Your Employer Ignores Your Complaints of Harassment or Discrimination?
Let’s say that you feel you’ve been a victim of harassment, discrimination or retaliation, or that your employment has been affected in some other way, by wrongdoing or illegality. You know your company’s policy, and you follow it, making a report to your human resources director or supervisor–whoever your company’s policy dictates that you… Read More »
Subtle Differences Between Unpaid Wages and Wage Theft
To a worker who may have done work and not been paid for it, not being paid is not being paid, no matter what you call it. But legally, there are differences in the reasons why employees who have earned wages, aren’t paid those wages, and the differences can have a significant legal impact… Read More »
Excuses Employers Use to Try to Discriminate Legally
We all know that discrimination in the workplace is illegal. But being illegal doesn’t mean that employers do not discriminate. That’s because of one large loophole, or exception, that does, in some cases, allow employers to discriminate legally: it’s called a bona fide occupational qualification, or BFOQ, and it’s one of the most common… Read More »
Changes to California Employment Law are Coming in 2026
As the year closes out, on the horizon are changes to California’s employment laws-or really, the starting effective date of already-passed changes. Here are some of the more significant or major ones. Posting of Your Rights The first is the start of the Workplace Know Your Rights Act, which is a law that requires… Read More »
Can Your Boss Force You to Take a Polygraph or Lie Detector Test?
Imagine that you apply for a job, and the interview process seems to be going pretty well. They tell you that you’re in line to get hired, there’s just one more hurdle: they want you to take a polygraph, or lie detector test. Can they do that–can you be required to take a lie… Read More »
Holiday Bonuses and Your Overtime Pay
Whether it’s for the holidays or new years, many employees are getting a pretty nice holiday gift, a holiday bonus in their paycheck. But that holiday bonus can affect overtime pay, as far as how much overtime you’re supposed to get under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and many employers calculate that bonus… Read More »
Things to Look for Before Signing That Employment Contract
Because California, like many states, is an at-will employment state, many employers simply would rather be able to fire you for any reason, rather than worry about whether they are complying with or violating an employment contract. Therefore, it is becoming more and more rare to have to sign or worry about agreeing to… Read More »
