An informed discussion about controlling the costs of worker’s compensation insurance begs a bit of background about the workers’ compensation framework. This may be old news for some of you, but it bears repeating because the context here is everything. How Does Workers’ Compensation Insurance Work? The workers’ compensation system is a compromise. It is…
Employers’ Obligations Increase Along with the Temperature
I received the alert below from the Department of Industrial Relations, and it seemed a good time to address the issue of heat regulations for employers. This alert was for last week, but this coming week will be even hotter. California has several laws that address the obligations of employers for both indoor and…
Revisiting Regular Rate of Pay (RROP) – Again
Before you all tune out, just know – the issue of Regular Rate of Pay arises when you pay non-exempt employees ANY rate beyond just their base hourly rate. That includes extra compensation, such as bonuses, service charge income, shift differential, or differing rates of pay in the same workweek. THAT WILL INCLUDE ANY OF…
Managing Employees in an AI Driven World
As many of you may recall, I started off my last piece on this issue in November 2025 by asking ChatGPT to answer the question – how is AI impacting the workplace? I didn’t ask it that same question today, but I suspect it would give me a similar but slightly different answer. That’s because…
July 1 Minimum Wage Increases on the Horizon
As most California employers now know, California does not have just one minimum wage. Depending on your location and your industry, minimum wage can vary greatly in our lovely golden state. Some of these minimum wages increase in January, when the state minimum wage hikes. Others, like Los Angeles, Los Angeles County (unincorporated!), and other…
The Importance of Transparency in the Workplace
Transparency is one of three words I consider key in the world of employment. The other two are “respect” and “documentation.” Notice I don’t include “fairness.” Being fair is inherently subjective. Fairness varies on your perspective, and your definition will differ greatly from that of your employees, or your kids, for that matter. Who hasn’t…
Revisiting the Dangers of Using Independent Contractors in California
Once again, I awoke to an article in Law360 about a California caregiver placement business, and its owners, facing over $4.4 million in citations from the state Labor Commissioner for misclassifying 144 caregivers as independent contractors. Last year, I wrote about the California Labor Commissioner citing the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC and three janitorial contractors…
After All These Years – Why Are We STILL Talking About Sexual Harassment?
I intended to visit the age-old topic of sexual harassment anyway, because I recently saw that a California winery just agreed to pay $1.5M to end an EEOC led sexual harassment case. But then, the Congressman who may well have been California’s leading candidate for Governor got hit with massive sexual harassment and assault allegations,…
State of Play in PAGA and Class Action Litigation
Last Monday, the Labor & Employment Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association held its annual Symposium, and I was honored to speak on the panel entitled “State of Play in PAGA and Class Action Litigation.” The Symposium was an all-day event, comprising numerous panels addressing key issues in employment litigation in 2026. I…
The Controversy Surrounding Workplace Surveillance Software
I was perusing social media this morning (while it was still dark out), and I happened on an article discussing “Bossware.” The term is being applied to workplace surveillance software, which is software that tracks employee keystrokes, monitors internet usage, and even takes random screenshots throughout the day. This software isn’t new, but it’s gained…