Posts by Sara Curtis
Hot Training Topics for April & May
In addition to important compliance topics like Mandated Reporter, Wage & Hour and Employee Handbooks, and Leaves of Absences in California, there are a few recently added trainings addressing hot-button issues in the news.
Read MoreDon’t Skip Steps: PAGA “Reasonable Steps” That Is
Ensuring compliance with the California Labor Code must remain a top priority—particularly in light of the recent reforms to the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). These changes present a critical opportunity for employers to take proactive measures.
Read MoreUnderstanding Employee Expense Reimbursements
Do you have employees? If so, you likely need to provide expense reimbursements. Simply put, employers should never pass on their operating costs to employees. But what about less common expenses?
Read MoreDeadline for California 2024 Pay Data Reporting is May 14
California’s annual pay data reporting portal opened for employers to begin submitting their 2024 reports on February 3, 2025. California employers with 100 or more employees have until May 14, 2025 to complete their reporting requirements.
Read MoreTime to Spring Clean Your Employee Files? Read This First…
Before you shred anything or push the delete key, keep in mind that California employers are required to retain employee records for a specific period of time to ensure compliance with state and federal laws.
Read MoreStaying Cool Outdoors and Indoors: California’s Heat Illness Prevention Requirements
With Spring here, soon some parts of California will begin to see temperatures soar. California employers will need to turn their attention to a critical workplace safety concern—Heat Illness Prevention. Cal/OSHA’s requirements apply broadly to both outdoor and indoor places of employment.
Read MoreNon-Exempt Employee Scheduling: What California Employers Need to Know About Reporting Time Pay
Scheduling employees to ensure the right amount of coverage to meet business needs without overstaffing can be challenging. Despite careful planning, needs can change quickly, prompting employers to send non-exempt employees home early.
Read MoreThe Spring Training Schedule is in Full Bloom
In addition to important compliance topics there are two new 4-part series available in April. A new session of HR 101: HR Compliance Essentials Certification Series begins on April 3.
Read MoreEmployee Talent Wars: Staying Ahead of the Curve
As we transition into 2025 and gear up for new recruiting and hiring efforts, it’s the perfect time to reflect on key insights from last year. We are also giving you a sneak peek for expected trends to watch out for in 2025 to stay ahead of the curve!
Read More2025 Salary Increase Predictions
As we start 2025, employers are keeping a close eye on salary trends to determine what this year might bring in terms of pay increases. With high increases over the last few years, will this year remain elevated?
Read MoreSpring Training for Your Supervisors!
Spring training is in full swing, which for many baseball fans means that our favorite teams have gathered to practice for the start of the regular season. It’s also a great time to make sure your company is compliant with all required training for your employees.
Read MoreFive Pro Tips for Managing Family and Medical Leave Requests
CFRA and FMLA are both highly technical laws, that can make administering these common leaves seem like a full-time job. Here are five big picture tips to keep leave administration running smoothly.
Read MoreKim’s Message: CEA is on the Road
As we move toward spring and warmer weather, I’m excited to hit the road with our CEA team twice this month to present at two events!
Read MoreWhen ICE Shows Up at Your California Business
Recently signed executive orders are aimed at implementing an aggressive immigration enforcement agenda including mass deportations. Employers in California and other sanctuary states are likely to see an uptick in immigration enforcement.
Read MoreKim’s Message: How Will You Thrive in 2025?
For the first time in many years, I didn’t make any New Year’s Resolutions for the year ahead. Apparently I wasn’t alone, as I recently read that the majority of people who make resolutions fail to follow through on them because they often require us to change something we do naturally.
Read MoreMember Benefit Highlight + Upcoming Events
If you have read the other articles in this month’s newsletter or scanned through a recent blog article, you are probably familiar with out HR forms page. This important page of the CEA website includes hundreds of forms on topics
Read MoreI-9 Self Audits and Best Practices
With a new administration now in place, U.S. immigration is expected to be a top priority. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expected to dramatically ramp up I-9 audits this year as they are the most common type of immigration worksite enforcement.
Read MoreCalifornia Paid Sick Leave Tips for Cold and Flu Season
Though January is over, we are still in cold and flu season until the weather warms up. Many employers also reset sick leave banks with the new year, which means you may see an uptick in leave requests during the first quarter.
Read MoreSignificant Changes to Federal Contracting and Potential Scrutiny of Private Sector DEI Programs
On January 21, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. This Order is focused on eliminating “discriminatory” DEI programs, targeting both federal contractors and private sector entities.
Read MoreFAQ’s About Non-Exempt Employee Travel Time Pay
Travel time pay is always a popular topic for questions that come into the HR hotline. So we have gathered the most frequently asked questions. CEA also has fact sheets on travel pay as well as calculating overtime available to our members.
Read MoreYear-End Vacation and Leave Balances
We are in the last month of the year, and CEA advisors are receiving an increase in calls with questions regarding holiday, vacation, and sick time pay. In some cases, our members are making sure their current policies comply with state law, while others are looking ahead and planning changes to their policies for 2024. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Read MoreCA DIR Answers Questions About New Paid Sick Leave Law!
As an early holiday present for California employers, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) updated their Frequently Asked Questions page to answer some headscratchers regarding the new paid sick leave law (SB 616). They also updated the mandatory Paid Sick Leave poster, and Wage Theft Notice for hourly workers. All well in advance of January 1st!
Read MoreWhat Leaders Can Learn from Taylor Swift
Over the past weekend, I had the incredible opportunity to experience Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie not once, but twice! I shared this unforgettable experience over two days with distinct groups of friends, spanning three generations of professionals, business owners, and leaders, whose ages ranged from 40 – 65 (although when we left we all felt 22). For all of us, the collective sentiment was unanimous—this was undeniably the most outstanding concert we had ever witnessed, leaving us with only one regret: that we didn’t have the chance to attend it in person.
During our post-movie discussion, as we basked in the “Lavender Haze,” we couldn’t help but marvel at Taylor Swift’s remarkable talents as both a businesswoman and a leader.
Read MoreThe Remote Work & Caregiving Dilemma
The ability to work from home is, in many ways, a privilege. Those who work in service industries and aren’t given the option to work remotely don’t have the same amount of flexibility or control over their time as remote workers. When we talk with employers who need help retaining employees, we often suggest offering remote or hybrid work schedules as an attraction tool. Not having to drive to the office daily offers everybody, whether they are a caregiver or not, the same thing—flexibility and time. In fact, a 2023 study found that getting rid of a commute to the office saved American workers an average of 72 minutes a day.
Read MorePrepare Now for the 2024 Minimum Wage Increase
Just as employers throughout the state had gotten used to the current $15.50 minimum wage, and many mid-year increases took place in various cities throughout the state, the California Department of Finance has announced that the state minimum wage is set to increase to $16 per hour on January 1, 2024.
Read MoreReasonable Accommodations & Pregnant Workers
What is a reasonable accommodation when it comes to a pregnant employee? Over the summer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) tried to tackle this question with the creation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA took effect on June 27, 2023, and is designed to offer more protection to pregnant workers across the U.S.
Read More5 Things You Didn’t Know About…
This month, you’ll meet Matthew James, CEA Board Member and Partner and Chief Operating Officer for Intelligent Technical Solutions. You’ll also meet Eli Nunez, CEA HR Director.
Read More15 Ways to Celebrate Employee Appreciation Day
Friday, March 3, 2023 is Employee Appreciation Day — a day when companies make the extra effort to recognize and appreciate their employees’ great work and contributions! Showing appreciation to your employees doesn’t have to break the bank. Whether you hand out gifts or not, the idea is to stop and take a moment to recognize and thank an employee for a job well done. The key is to be specific and authentic in your praise and do it in real-time — don’t wait until a performance review.
Read More5 Things You Didn’t Know About…
This month, you’ll meet Denise Highfill, CEA Board Chair-Elect and COO of Shingletown Medical Center (SMC), and Jessica Hawthorne, JD, CEA Senior Vice President.
Read More5 Days of Bereavement Leave in 2023
California employers with five or more employees, will likely need to update the bereavement policy in their employee handbook for 2023. That’s because a new law took effect on January 1, 2023 (AB 1949) which allows employees to take up to five days of unpaid bereavement leave upon the death of a family member. A family member is defined as a spouse, domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, sibling, grandparent or grandchild.
Read More5 Things You Didn’t Know About…
In this new monthly article, you’ll meet the individuals that make up the California Employers Association team. Let’s start with Sarah Hayden, CEA Board Chair for 2022-2023 and VP of Risk Management at PrideStaff and Kim Gusman, President and CEO of CEA.
Read MorePets in the Workplace
Question: My employee has anxiety. Her doctor recommended that she get an “emotional support” pet. Now my employee is requesting an accommodation to bring her dog into the office. Does the dog need to be certified and trained as an emotional support dog? What is our legal obligation in this matter and does it not fall under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)?
Read MoreFAQ: How do Absences Affect an Exempt Employee’s Salary?
HR Advisors at CEA answer more than 1,000 calls each month from our members with various HR questions, from what paperwork is required at the time of hire, to important considerations at termination, and everything in between: leaves of absence, alternative workweeks, workers’ compensation, proper pay practices, and COVID regulations (you name it). One question that keeps popping up is how to calculate an exempt employee’s salary when they are absent from work. While the question may seem simple enough, there is not a simple answer, as it depends on the circumstances.
Read MoreNice Employers May Finish Last When Employees Owe Money
Employers with the best of intentions can often wind up in a pickle when an employee ends up owing them money. One scenario occurs when you advance employee wages via a loan or allow them to take vacation time before they earned it.
Read MoreWritten Commission Agreements are Required
Chances are you have a few employees who receive commission as a part of their compensation package. However, chances are you may not realize that California employers with commissioned employees are required to have a written commission agreement with those same employees. If you have employees who receive commission, here’s what you need to include in a commission agreement.
Read MoreOffensive Odors in the Workplace
Summer smells aren’t always so pleasant. With the summer heat upon us in California, it’s a good time to review offensive odors in the workplace. Heat brings sweat and sweat can sometimes result in bad body odor. Unwanted smells can also come from smokers, perfumes, or from other sources. Its an embarrassing topic, but one managers can’t ignore and must treat seriously. Fortunately, this is not uncharted territory for CEA and we have some tips for you.
Read MoreThe Difference between a Furlough and a Layoff: Why It Matters
“Furloughs” and “layoffs” are sometimes said interchangeably, but there is a difference with legal implications. If your furloughs really amount to terminations or if you placed employees on leave indefinitely, you may have legal compliance obligations.
Read MoreHo-Ho-Ho Holiday Pay
Requests for time off are common during December through January. Employers may find themselves faced with multiple vacation requests from employees and questions about pay.
Read MorePower Outages Hit California: What Employers Need to Know
How should employers handle the power outages across California? Find out how to pay your employees by classification and how to plan ahead for natural disasters.
Read MoreNew Law Requires Mandatory Sexual Harassment Training for All Employees
The #MeToo movement has renewed attention on sexual harassment in the workplace and California has passed several anti-harassment laws this year.
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