Employee Rights Blog

Even with the increase in online shopping and fewer shoppers relying on mall and brick-and-mortar retail stores for their holiday shopping, Black Friday is a major shopping day for Americans. Retailers still depend on Black Friday sales for nearly a quarter of their annual revenue. Black Friday i...

Many of us put up with bad behavior and negativity in the workplace. However, there are limits set by the law when it comes to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in the workplace. It is important to know and understand your rights when it comes to what your boss can or can't legally ...

Many of us, unfortunately, experience a toxic environment in our places of work. There are times, however, that your work environment may turn hostile causing you severe mental trauma and emotional distress. Creating a hostile work environment through unlawful actions such as harassment, discrimi...

What Is Harassment And What Is Not? All types of sexual relationships and behavior in the workplace are not legally prohibited. And since we discuss what does constitute workplace sexual harassment, we also are providing you with situations that do not necessarily constitute inappropriate behavio...

Employment law covers a range of rights and responsibilities that make up the relationship between an employer and employee. Employment law applies not only to current employees, but also former workers and individuals who are applying for a job. A number of the legal disputes that involve compan...

California has some of the strongest protections when it comes to protecting the rights of employees. This includes the right to be paid correctly and on time. California laws are clear when it comes to how and when employees should be paid, what information workers should receive with their payc...

California labor laws classify different types of employees based on their job duties and the type of work they do. Exempt and nonexempt employees in California are distinguished based on their job duties as well as their pay structure. These differences typically determine whether or not an empl...

Workers in California have rights if they are being investigated in the workplace. Whether you work for a public agency or a private company, or whether or not you are part of a union, your employer must follow company policies and labor laws during the internal investigation process. You have ri...

California law does not require employers to provide vacation time or paid time off. However, many companies do offer vacation time as one of the job perks or benefits. If an employer does offer vacation time, California law requires that the vacation days earned are kept by the employee forever....

All California residents have the right to privacy. The state's Constitution gives workers the right to sue employers of violations of their right to privacy. In order to prove a violation of privacy, the employee must show that the employer violated his or her reasonable expectation of privacy. ...

Under California law, employers are not required to provide a set amount of paid time off (PTO) or paid vacation days. But, if a company's policy dictates that the employer provide vacation time, in such cases, you have the right to the amount of vacation time that is stated in the company's poli...

Recording audio in California workplaces generally can be done only with consent from both parties. This law applies to routine recordings such as those that might occur during training sessions, and also private conversations between employees and their supervisors or co-workers. Some employers ...

Most of California's employees are considered "at will" and do not have an employment contract. This means that they can leave their jobs when they desire and their employers can let them go "at will" without stating a reason for the job termination. Employers cannot terminate an "at-will" employ...

As an employee in California, you may be wondering how many days you can legally work in a row without a break. While federal law does not limit the number of days in a row an employee might work, according to California Labor Code Section 551, all California employees, regardless of the field in...

Employers are required under state and federal laws to pay workers the wages they have rightfully earned. If your employer has not paid you for the work you have done, you may be entitled to receive those unpaid wages as well as interest and penalties. You may also be able to receive compensation...

The #MeToo movement and numerous high profile workplace-relations lawsuits prompted new California employment laws that took effect on January 1, 2019. California employers and employees alike should take note of four notable sexual and workplace harassment laws detailed below. Don't hesitate to ...

Federal antidiscrimination laws are statutes that prohibit discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation and disability. These laws apply in a variety of scenarios such as employment, housing, education and pu...

When an employee is suspended at work, it is typically because of a disciplinary measure taken by an employer that involves temporarily barring an employee from performing his or her job duties. While there may be a number of reasons for a job suspension, it is often due to an investigation into ...

Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Darcy French, a veteran of the department, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her employer alleging that her supervisors ignored her complaints about the harassment. According to a Los Angeles Times news report, French says in her lawsuit that supervisors...

California labor laws state that employers cannot force their employees to work off the clock. All time you spend working must be accounted for and paid. You are required to be paid under the law even if your employer did not authorize extra time. If you worked and your employer knew about it or ...

All employees in California deserve to be paid the wages they earned. When hourly employees are not paid their wages due, they have the right to file a wage and hour claim against their employer. These claims cover an employer's failure to pay minimum wage, overtime pay as well as labor code viol...

How an employer defines an employee can make a big difference in the wages and benefits a worker receives. Workers can typically be classified as "employees" or as "independent contractors." There are pros and cons to both of these classifications. However, it is important to note that an employe...

Wage theft is sadly a common occurrence in California. Employers owe tens of thousands of workers money in unpaid wages each year. Wage theft occurs when employers deliberately pay workers below the minimum wage, don't pay them overtime wages, fail to provide them with meal or rest breaks or atte...

Federal and state labor laws require employers to pay workers a minimum wage as well as overtime wages. California has a higher minimum wage and some cities and counties in California have a higher minimum wage that the state. In these cases, employers must pay the higher local rate. Overtime rat...

If you believe your employer has violated wage and hour laws, you may be owed unpaid wages. These are essentially wages your employer should have paid you for work you did and not paying them is a violation of federal and state labor laws. You are also eligible to receive interest for the money t...