As an employer in California, you probably know that the Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) requires employers with five or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with a physical or mental disability. A reasonable accommodation allows an applicant to have an equal opportunity to be considered for the job and
Disability and Leave
California’s Labor Commissioner Issues Required Poster & FAQ Regarding New COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
By Susan E. Groff on
Posted in Paid Sick Leave
On the anniversary of California’s statewide shelter-in-place orders, Governor Newsom signed legislation bringing back the statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave.
The new statute requires employers to display a required poster issued by the California Labor Commissioner and which the Labor Commissioner issued on March 22, 2021. Like prior required posters, the notice includes…
California’s Statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave is Back and Expanded
By Cepideh Roufougar on
Posted in Paid Sick Leave
Governor Newsom has signed Senate Bill 95, which resurrects the statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave that expired at the end of 2020. The bill takes effect immediately but provides a 10-day grace period for employers to start providing sick leave. The new law also applies retroactively to January 1, 2021 and will remain…
Understanding CFRA: Who Is Eligible for CFRA Leave
Posted in Disability and Leave
With the recent expansion of the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employers who previously were not covered under CFRA now find themselves having to navigate the murky waters of the law. From the basics such as who exactly is eligible for CFRA leave to the more complicated issues dealing with how CFRA works for…
Updated Guidance from California’s DFEH at the One Year Mark of the Pandemic
By Cepideh Roufougar on
Posted in Disability and Leave
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the agency charged with administering California’s employment discrimination statute and regulations, has updated its COVID-19 guidance for employers. The updates cover many issues that employers had been struggling with during the pandemic, including:
- COVID-19 Inquiries and Protective Equipment
- Employees with COVID-19 Symptoms or Infection
- Job-Protected Leave
…
California Leave Bills Employers Should Watch
Posted in Disability and Leave
Though employers may feel like California just wrapped up its legislative session for 2020, the 2021 legislative session is already in full swing. February 19 was the last day for the proposal of new bills. However, Assembly members and Senators have until September to revise and amend proposed bills before submitting them to the…
Understanding CFRA: How CFRA Works for Pregnant Employees
By Jennifer S. Grock on
Posted in Disability and Leave
On January 1, 2021, the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) expanded in several ways, including that small employers (those with 5 or more employees) must now provide up to 12 workweeks of CFRA leave within a 12-month period to eligible employees. With the expanded applicability of CFRA, it’s important for California employers to be aware…
California’s Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act Covers COVID-19, Too
By Susan E. Groff on
Posted in Paid Sick Leave
California currently has a patchwork of local COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave ordinances which remain in effect in 2021. But what about employers that are not located in those localities with a supplemental paid sick leave ordinance? Or employees who have exhausted supplement paid sick leave allotments?
Before the pandemic, California had the Healthy Workplace…
California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave in 2021
By Cepideh Roufougar on
Posted in Paid Sick Leave
In 2020, employers with employees in California were inundated with new compliance requirements brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It seemed that another local government or the state passed a COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave requirement nearly every month. These supplemental sick leave benefits applied to employees who were not covered by the federal Families…
The City of Oakland Extends its Emergency Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
By Erika Barbara Pickles on
Posted in Paid Sick Leave
Joining other counties and cities in California, the City of Oakland voted to extend its Emergency Paid Sick Leave ordinance into 2021. The amended ordinance applies retroactively to December 31, 2020, and will remain in effect until the City’s Declaration of COVID-19 Emergency expires.
The amended ordinance applies to all employers that have employees working…