2025 Employment Practices Audit: Protect Your Business with a Comprehensive Review
As we kick off 2025, it’s time for employers to conduct an in-depth Employment Practices Audit. This audit isn’t just a checklist—it’s an essential step to ensure your workplace remains compliant with California’s ever-evolving employment laws. By auditing key areas of your business, you can reduce legal risks, promote a positive workplace culture, and avoid potential disputes with employees. Let’s take a closer look at how to audit each important area. 1. Hiring Practices: Ensuring Fairness and Compliance Review all job descriptions to ensure they align with California’s anti-discrimination laws (e.g. no questions about prior pay, disabilities, criminal records, and a new one…having a valid driver’s license). Examine your interview questions and selection processes to make sure they are free from bias. Also, ensure that your background check policies comply with state and federal laws, particularly those surrounding criminal records. 2. Wage and Hour Compliance: A Critical Review Wage and hour compliance is a priority for California employers. To avoid costly lawsuits or penalties, you’ll want to ensure: Given recent updates to the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), it’s crucial … Continue reading
New Notice Requirements for California Warehouse Distribution Centers
Photo by Ryan Parker on Unsplash California’s AB 701 Amends section 138.7 and adds a new part to the Labor Code to specifically address Warehouse Distribution Centers. Which Employers Will be Affected by the New Law? Any company that employs (directly or through third parties and agencies): 100 or more nonexempt warehouse distribution workers at a single warehouse distribution center; OR 1,000 or more employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in the state of California. New Notice Requirement Beginning January 1, 2022, Certain employers will need to provide non-exempt employees with a written description of each quota the employee is subject to. What must be in this notice? The quantified number of tasks to be performed by the employee, or materials to be produced or handled. The time period tasks must be performed or materials must be produced in. The adverse employment action that could result if the employee does not meet the quota. When must subject employers give the notice to warehouse distribution center employees? At the time of hire; or By January 31, 2022. New Employee … Continue reading
Employer’s COVID-19 Notice Requirements
AB-654 went into effect immediately on October 5, 2021, and will expire on January 1, 2023. The law amends California Labor Code Section 6325 and amends and repeals Labor Code section 6409.6 relating to occupational safety and notice requirements about COVID-19 in the workplace. Below is an outline of an employers’ notice requirements as well as duties to report exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace. If you receive an OSHA that your place of employment, operation, or process, poses an imminent risk to workers of exposure to infection with COVID-19, resulting in OSHA prohibiting entry to the place of employment or prohibiting the risky operation or process, you must post the OSHA notice in a conspicuous place at the place of employment and may not be removed except by an authorized OSHA representative. If you receive notice of potential exposure to COVID-19, the employer must do the following within one business day of the notice of potential exposure: Provide a written notice of potential exposure to 1. All employees; and 2. employers of subcontracted employees who were at the same … Continue reading