Happy Friday! This Friday’s Five, I discuss five issues California employers should consider given the minimum wage increase that took effect in many Southern California cities and counties on July 1, 2017.
Five reasons employers should consider voluntarily making premium payments to employees for missed breaks
California Labor Code section 226.7 provides that employees are entitled to receive premium wages in the form of one additional hour of pay at the employee’s regular rate of pay for a missed meal or rest break.
An employee who works more than three and one-half hours per day must be permitted to take a
Five must-have policies for California employers
In speaking to a few groups of California employers this week, a common question kept coming up about what are the essential 
employment policies California employers must have? While there are more than five, this week’s Friday’s Five starts with what I consider to be critical policies that every California must have in place.
1.
Mileage reimbursement issues under California law
Expense reimbursement may seem like a small issue in comparison with the other areas of liability facing California employers, but the 
exposure for not appropriately reimbursing employees can be substantial. In Gattuso v. Harte-Hanks Shoppers, Inc., the California Supreme Court clarified the parameters of mileage reimbursement under California law, as well as the three
Employment practices audit: five areas to review
Happy Friday! This Friday’s Five covers five areas that employers can start with in conducting an employment practices 
audit. Coming up on the mid-point of the year, it is a good time to conduct an employment law practices audit to ensure that policies are compliant, managers are properly trained, and the company is maintaining the
House passes the “Working Family Flexibility Act” – what California employers need to understand
This Friday’s Five comes on Cinco de Mayo – how appropriate. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Working Family Flexibility Act, now it is being considered
by the Senate. President Trump has indicated that he would sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. Five issues California employers need to understand
Five common questions about California’s paid sick leave requirements
Almost two years after California’s requirement to provide employees with paid sick leave, there are still many outstanding questions about California’s Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act of 2014. These issues still exist even after Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 3 on April 2016 amending the Act attempting to clarify a few provisions of
Five steps to prepare for July 2017 local minimum wage increases in California
Many cities and counties across California are set to increase their minimum wages in July 2017, and employers need to start preparing now. For example, Los Angeles City and County are increasing the minimum wage for employers with 26 or more employees to $12 per hour on July 1, 2017 (currently at $10.50 per
Commissioned sales employees must be compensated separately for rest breaks – Vaquero v. Stoneledge Furniture
This week, in Vaquero v. Stoneledge Furniture LLC, a California appellate court issued a decision explaining employer’s obigations to separately compensate employees paid on a commission basis for rest breaks.
Plaintiffs worked as sales associates for Stoneledge Furniture, LLC, a retail furniture company doing business in California as Ashley Furniture HomeStores. Stoneledge paid the
Ignoring these legal notices can create liability for California employers
Happy Friday! This Friday’s Five provides five legal requests and/or notices that, if ignored, can create huge liability for a California employer.
1. Requests for personnel records and time records
There are many different Labor Code provisions that obligate the employer to provide current and former employees with a copy of their personnel files and/or