California Workplace & Employment Law Blog

In March 2020, businesses across the country had no choice but to shutter their workplaces and permit their employees to work from home (also called “telecommuting” or “teleworking”). With vaccine distribution ramping up and government restrictions loosening, employers are starting to bring their employees back to work.

Now that many employers have been able to conduct business with a telecommuting workforce for the last year, many employers are grappling with the question of whether they will ever be able to deny an employee the ability to work from home as a reasonable accommodation in the future.

2021 brings a slew of new employment laws, which will affect nearly every California employer, regardless of size or industry. Below is a roundup of the main legal changes that will impact most employers. Some of these laws took effect immediately upon the governor’s signing on September 30th, and most others will go into effect on January 1, 2021. Given the expansive scope of these laws, employers should have their policies and procedures updated and in place ready to go by January 1, 2021.

On March 18, the federal government passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The FFCRA consists of several different parts, including the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA). The FFCRA is designed to help employees by providing paid sick and family leave for reasons related to COVID-19, that will be dollar-for-dollar reimbursed by the federal government through a refundable tax credit to employers.