Some people might think that catcalling (such as whistles, suggestive comments, and sexual advances) at their workplace is just an unpleasant part of their job that they have to endure. This is untrue. Some might be asking, is catcalling sexual harassment? The answer is yes in many circumstances. If...
Fighting fraud has been a priority of the federal government for hundreds of years. The False Claims Act, originally passed in 1863, imposes legal liability on anyone who tries to defraud the federal government. Those committing fraud against the federal government may be liable for three times the government’s...
On March 3, 2022, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. This new law—a result of the #MeToo movement—means that employers cannot force employees into secret arbitration for claims of sexual harassment or sexual assault. Since arbitration generally tends to favor employers over employees, this law...
State and federal law protect employees who “blow the whistle” on their employers. These protections are intended to encourage people who have information about their employers’ unsafe or fraudulent practices to come forward. But how do you prove whistleblower retaliation? The whistleblower laws protect employees who report illegal employment...
You might be shocked to discover that in this day and age, some employees are forced by aggressive production quotas to originate in water bottles in order to avoid being fired. Unfortunately, not only is this happening at one of the world’s biggest companies—Amazon—but Amazon was forced to publicly...
Computer and artificial intelligence algorithms are used widely to reduce workloads for humans and produce fast, reliable results. They are programmed to do tasks based on past and predictable patterns. They are considered objective, impartial decision-makers that filter the most relevant sources for your google searches, reorder the content...
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibit employers from discriminating based on disability. Employers must engage in an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations that allow a disabled employee to work successfully. Often, an employee will want to bring a service...
Preparing to have a baby is hard enough without the challenge of navigating the developed world’s worst maternity leave policies. Fortunately, in California, expecting and new mothers may take more maternity leave than in the rest of the country. Some of it is even paid! While this is a...
The federal False Claims Act (FCA) is one of the most powerful tools in the federal government’s fraud-fighting arsenal. The FCA was passed during the Civil War to “root out fraud against the government.” Since 1863, Congress has updated the law several times to give it more teeth and...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease. People who live with MS often experience patterns of exacerbation and remission. When symptoms are in remission, people with MS may be able to work with minimal accommodations. But when symptoms are exacerbated, these employees may require significant accommodations. Unfortunately, employees in...