California Workplace & Employment Law Blog

Last month, the California Court of Appeal issued a decision stating that a retail employer’s call-in scheduling policy—in which employees were required to call the employer in advance of a shift to find out if they needed to show up for work—triggered the “reporting time” obligation under Wage Order No. 7-2001. In Ward v. Tilly’s, Inc., the court significantly broadened the scope of California’s reporting time pay requirement.

A number of new laws took effect on January 1, 2019 which affect severance agreements and other settlement agreements entered into in California. Taken together, these new laws should prompt a thorough review of severance and other settlement agreements.

As you may already have learned as a business proprietor, employers are exposed to the risk of lawsuits every time they take action related to their employees. One way to minimize the financial impact of employee lawsuits is through Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI). EPLI is specialized insurance designed to protect against loss incurred in litigating wrongful employment practices claims by covering the costs of a company’s legal fees, as well as costs for settlements and judgments.