California Employer Bulletin

Recent Posts from California Employer Bulletin

• “Sugar Coating” Reason for Termination Will Leave Sour Aftertaste, Lawyer Says

  Managers are often tempted to “sugar coat” the reasons an employee is terminated for poor performance, particularly when hard economic times support the contention. But, according to attorney Allen M. Kato, counsel at the San…

• Court Says Employee Stock Ownership Plan Doesn’t Violate Labor Code

  In recent years, many employers have begun offering employees stock ownership in the company either in lieu of bonuses, or as deferred compensation—often called Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Once such employer is Citigroup, which…

• EEOC Issues New Mandatory Workplace Poster

  The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has revised its “EEO is the Law” workplace poster. All employers are required by federal law to post the current version of this poster. The last revision to…

• Suspending Employees Without Pay During Investigations Can Be Risky

  You have strong reason to suspect that an employee has engaged in serious misconduct, such as theft or sexual harassment. But you don’t want to fire the employee based solely on suspicion. So instead, you…

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• Terminated Employee Was Not a Whistleblower, Court Says

  Is every employee who makes a formal complaint considered a “whistleblower”? The federal District Court says no. Mark Shulthies, a long time Amtrak employee working in California, sent an email to his supervisor complaining that…

• “No-Match” Rule Officially Dropped

  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has officially dropped the controversial “no-match” rule, which required employers to fire workers if there was a discrepancy between a worker’s Social Security Number (SSN) and official government records.…

• Departing Employees? You Must Notify Them of Their Unemployment Rights.

  Many California employers are surprised to learn that they must give all departing employees notice of their right to seek unemployment benefits—even if it’s a termination for good cause, and even if an employee leaves…

• New Survey Says Pay Violations Rampant; DOL Stepping Up Inspections

  In response to the published results of a recent survey of low-wage workers in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) will be…

• Timekeeping and Payroll: The 9-to-5 Trap

  Most employees today don’t punch a time clock; they generally work a set schedule, such as 9 am to 5 pm. Because these employees work a regular schedule, many employers don’t bother to track their…