Recent Blog Posts
Can an Employer Deny Severance?
Ideally, when you leave a job, you are doing so on your terms. You have a plan to move on to another job, higher education, another career, or pursue some other objective. Unfortunately, things are often less than ideal. You might lose your job because of layoffs, downsizing, “redundancies,” or termination for alleged cause…. Read More »
Can You Refuse to Work in a Dangerous/Unsafe Environment?
In California, workers are protected by workplace safety regulations and laws authorized by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and the California Occupational Safety and Health Act (commonly known as Cal/OSHA). What happens when an employee identifies a hazard in the workplace, but their employer ignores their concerns? Is the employee stuck… Read More »
How Older Employees Can File Age Discrimination Claims
Age discrimination is just as insidious and pervasive as other forms of workplace discrimination in California and nationwide. But age discrimination can be more difficult to identify, and many California employees do not even know that they have rights once they reach a certain age. Continue reading to learn about age discrimination in the… Read More »
National Origin Discrimination: Facts & Myths
National origin discrimination concerns unfair and discriminatory treatment targeted at certain workers because they are from a particular country or part of the world, or because of their ethnicity, accent, or ethnic background. The contours of the protections against national origin discrimination in the workplace can be somewhat unclear. Below, we address and debunk… Read More »
Equal Pay Violation in CA: Is My Employer Violating the EPA?
California’s Equal Pay Act (EPA) prohibits pay discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or gender. The EPA is intended to put a stop to unequal pay between men and women, as well as between workers of different races or ethnicities. If you are being paid less than your white or male counterparts, you might have… Read More »
Waiting Time Penalties: Can I Get Them From My Employer?
California law protects employees at all stages of employment, from interviewing to hiring and onboarding, all the way through termination. Among other things, California law requires employers to promptly pay their employees any wages still due upon termination of the employee. If an employer fires an employee and fails to pay out the wages… Read More »
Can I Sue My Employer for Defamation?
Not every job has a fairy-tale ending. Sometimes you and your boss simply do not get along. After working at the company for some time, either you get fed up or they do. You quit or you get terminated. Sometimes, you might not even be aware of the bad blood–you simply leave your job… Read More »
Can an Employer Require Me to Sign a Duty Meal Waiver?
California law guarantees workers certain benefits, including meal breaks every so often. Many employers, however, prefer to have workers remain on-site and at least partially attentive during their meal breaks. Having an employee stay on-site during their meal break allows the employer to, for example, avoid hiring a second person for the shift. Can… Read More »
Trade Secret Misappropriation: Why It’s a Big Deal, and What Not to Do When Leaving an Employer
When you work for a company, you learn all sorts of private information. Most of this information is not subject to copyright, patent, or trademark protection. That does not mean that labeling information as “confidential” carries no actual legal protection. Confidential information may be protected as a “trade secret” of the employer, and if… Read More »
Fitness Duty Exam: Am I Required to Take One for a Job?
A fitness duty exam or fitness for duty assessment is a medical exam that a current employee may be required to undergo before they start or go back to work. The exam assesses whether an individual is physically and physiologically able to perform the duties of their job. These exams can often take place… Read More »
