Nearly every state in the U.S. recognizes the at-will employment doctrine, except for Montana. However, a new law taking effect in California on January 1, 2024, erodes the at-will doctrine even more, and when coupled with the ever increasing list of protected activities that employers may not rely upon for employment decisions (which in 2024
At-will

Potential Legal Responses Towards “Quiet Quitters”
Quiet quitting has been in the news recently to describe a trend by employees to only do the bare minimum at work. Some have described it as setting boundaries and not doing work beyond what you were hired to do, and for what you are being paid for.
The most common question I’ve been getting…

Five Terms To Include In Job Offer Letters
Instead of relying on the old job offer letter you had a lawyer review in the 1990’s for your next new hire, it is recommended to review the offer letter to ensure it is up to date with current law. Here are the five terms employers should consider to include in job offer letters:
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Five Key Rules to Remember About Documenting Employee Performance
Employers need to remember these five key rules for documenting and providing feedback on employee performance:
1. For at-will employees, there is no legal obligation for employers to provide three warnings to employees prior to a termination.
Some employers have the misconception that employees must be given three warnings prior to being terminated. This is…

Need to know concepts of California employment law
It is important for employers in California to make sure that their front-line managers dealing with employees on a day-to-day basis are knowledgeable about different employment issues that routinely come up in the employment context. This week’s Friday’s Five covers five areas that employers should review with their managers to ensure they inform the appropriate…
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.
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Five general rules California employers should understand about employment contracts, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements
Friday’s 5 is here. This post covers five issues that commonly arise when dealing with employment contracts and non-competition/non-solicitation agreements. It is a very broad area to discuss, so, as always, this is a very general overview. However, employers and executives alike should have a basic understanding about the legalities and enforceability of such clauses…
Friday’s Five: Five Terms To Include In Job Offer Letters
Five legal concepts every California employer needs to understand
You’ve set up a successful company and begin hiring employees. To be a successful operator in California, a company’s management needs to be familiar with the critical legal concepts in order to successfully navigate California’s complex employment laws. You never wanted to go to law school, but time to hit the, ahem, books (or the…