With so many people having been relegated to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are now wrestling with how to proceed as it starts to wane. Many companies are considering implementing hybrid, flextime work schedules after seeing success with remote work. Flextime is the use of flexible schedules in which employees spend a […]
April 13, 2021
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that President Biden signed into law on March 11 contains a number of provisions intended to help small businesses and other organizations hurt by the pandemic. Foremost, it includes additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to struggling businesses, and a number of special grants to companies in […]
April 9, 2021
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has affirmed that employers can mandate COVID-19 vaccines for employees, subject to some limitations. The EEOC’s updated guidance offers direction regarding employer-mandated vaccinations, accommodations for employees who cannot be vaccinated due to a disability or sincerely held religious belief, and certain implications of pre-vaccination medical screening questions under the Americans […]
January 26, 2021
The $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill, passed by Congress and signed into law on Dec. 27, includes a number of provisions that affect employers and their workers in terms of paid sick leave and Emergency Family and Medical Leave Act provisions. The legislation also boosts unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans, as well as reopening and […]
January 26, 2021
SB 1159, signed into law in September, requires that when a California employer “knows or reasonably should know” that an employee has tested positive for coronavirus, it must report that positive case to its workers’ compensation carrier within three business days. There is a lot of ground to cover in these reports and the legislation […]
January 26, 2021
Every year starts with a bevy of new laws and regulations affecting employers and businesses in California, and many of the new rules this time around are an outgrowth of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on workers. Employers in California in the year ahead have a number of changes they have to contend with, […]
January 26, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic will lead to permanent changes in the way business is conducted, how we manage our workflows, and how we handle our personnel. It has forced many companies to furlough workers or keep operations going by having staff that, if they can do so, work from home ― and it’s clear the work […]
October 19, 2020
New Cal/OSHA regulations require employers to provide access to their injury and illness prevention programs upon request. Under the new rule, effective July 1st, employers are required to provide a copy of their IIPP within five days upon an employee’s or an employee’s representative’s (a lawyer’s) request. The employer can provide it in electronic or […]
October 19, 2020
Cal/OSHA has implemented new lighting requirements for agricultural operations that are conducted after sunset. The Cal/OSH Standards Board adopted the regulation in February and after receiving clearance by the Office of Administrative Law, it took effect July 1. Night work is used to harvest crops when they are at their optimal quality and to prevent […]
July 30, 2020
There is some good news coming out in terms of COVID-19 and workers’ compensation in California. Overall workers’ comp claims tied to the coronavirus may not be as numerous and as costly as originally thought. Gov. Gavin Newsom in early March announced that any worker who is reporting to a worksite in California and contracts […]
July 30, 2020