Employers need to be aware of the requirements and tight deadlines they have in responding to an employee’s request for various employment documents under California law. This Friday’s Five focuses on five areas of records that are typically requested by applicants, current or former employees, and some common deadlines to comply with those requests.
1.
I received a few questions this week that I have not heard asked in a while: In what manner do employers need to keep time records? Can they be kept electronically, or do they have to be written? A follow-on question was: Do employers need to have a computerized timekeeping system to comply with their
California employment law is a mind field that carries huge exposure for employers not proactively monitoring legal developments and potential legal issues. There are some statements employers in California should never make, and this Friday’s Five reviews misaligned statements that can create significant liability for an employer.
1. My company has employment practices liability insurance
With the end of summer quickly approaching, this Friday’s Five (and next week’s post as well) covers broad topics employers should review periodically. Today’s post covers five questions a company operating in California should be asking on a routine basis:
1. Has the company reviewed and updated the employee handbook and related policies?
As discussed
Let me start with the lawyer’s disclaimer up-front: this Friday’s Five list has no scientific or statistical backing whatsoever, I generated it based on the cases I’ve been litigating in 2014. My experience may be (and probably is) skewed a bit, but nevertheless California employers should pay attention to the following areas of potential litigation.
Employers can receive requests for employment records of current and former employees though 
different ways. It is important for employers to first carefully review the request to understand what is being requested. It is important to understand who is making the request? Is the request only seeking a personnel file? Is the request only seeking
The
DOL is pushing for regulations to require employers to provide more information about how employee’s paychecks are calculated. This week, the Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said that the Department of Labor is backing a proposal that would require employers to provide more information to employees in order help stop wage and hour violations. Bloomberg