The #MeToo movement gained national attention in October 2017 when multiple allegations of sexual harassment against movie producer Harvey Weinstein came to light. Since these first revelations, the effects of the #MeToo movement have reverberated in workplaces throughout the U.S., resulting in states like California taking steps to enact new laws and protections aimed to curb sexual harassment in the workplace.
The following senate and assembly bills became state law on Jan. 1, 2019.
California is a state known for its diversity and both state and federal employment laws prohibit discrimination based on various personal identifying factors including gender, race, national origin and religion. For employees who work in customer-facing roles and wear hijabs, crosses or follow certain grooming practices due to their religious beliefs, there is always fear that a customer may complain about what they are wearing or how they look.
In cases where a customer does complain about an employee’s religious dress or appearance and an employee is suddenly moved to a non-customer facing role, he or she may choose to speak with an employment law attorney about filing an employment discrimination lawsuit.
The California Family Rights Act is a California statute that permits leave for certain conditions. If you are an eligible employee, you may take leave of up to 12 weeks for a serious health condition or a similar condition that affects a family member. It also covers the birth or adoption of a child.
Lawmakers updated the CFRA in 2015 with new regulations that spell out coverage for remote employees.
Employees are key to many businesses. If employers are not careful, they may find themselves facing litigation for handling certain employee situations in the wrong manner.
To help avoid this, it is important to have proper business practices in place. In that vein, there are a couple of important aspects of employee contracts to be aware of.
A contract serves as a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties wherein one or all of the parties agree to a set of terms. Contracts must have a legal purpose and be based on mutual agreement and genuine assent; all parties must willingly participate in the agreement. Additionally, contracts must give all parties something in return in exchange for something of value being surrendered. In order to be legally binding, all parties must be competent and of legal age when signing the contract.
While contracts are often fairly straightforward, contract disputes do happen. A contract dispute occurs when any party disagrees with any of the terms or definitions in a contract.
There are plenty of people who don’t like their jobs. We’ve all complained to friends, family and co-workers about work. In most instances, you likely vent a little bit and move on because you just needed to get something off your chest.
But what if there is more to your situation than a bad day at work? When does a bad experience at the office cross over into discrimination?
When it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, it can be hard to know what crosses the line. Often, it's tempting to ignore harassment or justify an incident by convincing yourself or others it was just a joke.
However, harassment is serious. Even one incident of verbal harassment is a major problem, and should be dealt with. It sounds simple, but that’s rarely the case. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what constitutes harassment.
When you’re running a small business, you likely know the importance of keeping sexual harassment out of the workplace. However, creating a sexual harassment policy and making sure guidelines are specifically outlined may not be at the top of your to-do list.
Nonetheless, it is important to have a policy in place, and to make sure you and your employees are aware of sexual harassment.
Employees face all kinds of issues in the workplace from worrying about getting a year-end bonus or raise to having a good, working relationship with your co-workers. Some of these concerns are common and part of working at a company. However, some of these concerns are more serious and may actually violate your rights as an employee.
Are you the victim of employment discrimination?
Discrimination is a serious, yet fairly common issue in the workplace. Some types of discrimination are blatant and easy to spot. Other violations are more difficult to see. In either case, discrimination at work can significantly harm an employee's success at a company and their overall well-being.
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