The Blog: Handbooks And Policies

Use Stand-Alone Agreements For Employment Arbitration

Employee handbooks are an essential legal document that every California small and medium business (SMB) should have. An effective employee handbook spells out what you expect from your employees and helps protect your business from potential lawsuits. But if you want an enforceable arbitration agreement for employment disputes don’t bury it in your employee handbook. Use a separate stand-alone arbitration …

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Where No Rest Period Policy = Liability

Smart employers know having written employee policies is good business.
But who would have thought the absence of a written policy – when the law does not require one – could create liability for employers?  And when that lack of a written policy can result in class action liability it’s best to sit up and take notice.
Common Uniform Policies Under Brinker
In …

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Inside Scoop – Employment Law Continuing Education Part 2

Here’s more inside scoop from the continuing education course on employment and labor law for attorneys I recently attended. 
This a continuation of Part 1.  Read Part 3.
Lessons learned, Part 2:
Employee Documentation
What am I talking about here?  I’m talking about HR Legal employee documentation.  This was a recurring theme throughout the course.  It’s a theme that is so basic to me …

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Update Your Employee Handbooks For New 2014 California Laws

The California legislature passed a number of bills effective 1/1/2014 affecting California employers.  Certain of these new employment and labor laws require the prudent employer to update their employee handbooks.
Suggested handbook updates:
AB 11 – Time Off For Reserve Peace Officers and Emergency Rescue Personnel Training
Handbook update suggestion: update your time off for volunteer firefighters policy to include reserve peace officers …

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Employee Handbook Law

In law school budding lawyers learn a buzz phrase – “oh, that’s hornbook law” (aka “black letter law”). A “hornbook” is like “Cliff’s Notes” for law students and states the most rudimentary and basic recitation of the law so even a novice law student can figure it out. “Handbook” law is not “hornbook law” by any stretch of the imagination.
Handbook …

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