California Employment Law Blog

Can Your Employer Require You to Work on a Religious Holiday in California?

Employee discussing a religious holiday work schedule with a manager in a California office

Summary Yes. A California employer can generally schedule you to work on a religious holiday. A religious holiday does not automatically give every employee a legal right to take the day off. Your rights may change when the work schedule conflicts with a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance. California’s Fair Employment and Housing […]

Deleted Evidence in a California Lawsuit: Spoliation, Sanctions, and What Happens Next

Shredded papers and a hard drive beside California lawsuit files.

Deleted or destroyed evidence can affect a California lawsuit when the material was relevant to pending litigation or litigation that was reasonably foreseeable. California courts refer to the destruction, significant alteration, or failure to preserve relevant evidence as spoliation. The legal response depends on facts such as when the preservation duty arose, whether the loss […]

What to Do If a Workers’ Comp Doctor Releases You Too Soon in California

An injured California worker discusses persistent back pain and return-to-work concerns with a doctor.

If a workers’ compensation doctor releases you to work before you believe you have recovered, act quickly. Review the written work-status report, document your current symptoms, compare your actual job duties with any medical restrictions, and contact your treating physician if the report does not reflect your condition. If you disagree with the doctor’s opinion […]

Can You Get Workers’ Comp for an Injury During a Work Trip in California?

California business traveler receiving help after an ankle injury during a work trip.

Summary Yes. An injury during a work trip may qualify for workers’ compensation in California when the travel is connected to your employment. California Labor Code section 3600 generally requires a compensable injury to arise out of and occur in the course of employment. When your employer sends you away from your usual workplace for […]

California Schedule Changes Without Notice

California Schedule Changes Without Notice

In most California workplaces, an employer can change your schedule without giving a specific amount of advance notice. California does not have a general statewide predictive scheduling law that guarantees every private-sector employee a fixed notice period before a shift is changed. That does not mean every last-minute schedule change is lawful. Your rights can […]

Can Workplace Surveillance Be Used Against California Employees?

Can Workplace Surveillance Be Used Against California Employees?

Yes. Workplace surveillance can sometimes be used against California employees when an employer relies on lawfully collected information to investigate misconduct, enforce workplace rules, review performance, or support discipline. That does not give an employer unlimited authority to monitor you or to use surveillance for an unlawful reason. California workers have privacy protections under the […]

Can Your Employer Fire You for Discussing Pay in California?

Can-Your-Employer-Fire-You-for-Discussing-Pay-in-California

In California, your employer generally cannot fire, discipline, demote, reduce your hours, or otherwise retaliate against you because you discussed wages in a way protected by law. California Labor Code section 232 protects your right to disclose your own wages. California Labor Code section 1197.5 also protects your right to disclose your own wages, discuss […]

Fall Workplace Burnout in California: Mental Health Leave and Accommodation Rights

Fall-Workplace-Burnout-in-California-Mental-Health-Leave-and-Accommodation-Rights

For some California employees, fall brings heavier workloads, year-end deadlines, staffing changes, performance reviews, and holiday scheduling. Burnout by itself is not a stand-alone legal diagnosis or a separate category of protected leave. The legal issue is usually whether workplace stress is connected to a physical or mental health condition that qualifies for paid sick […]

California School Closure Leave Rights: Can Employees Be Fired for Taking Time Off?

California School Closure Leave Rights: Can Employees Be Fired for Taking Time Off?

California law can protect qualifying time off when your child’s school or licensed child care provider closes unexpectedly or another covered school or child care emergency occurs. California Labor Code section 230.8 may protect eligible parents, guardians, stepparents, foster parents, grandparents, and people who stand in the place of a parent, subject to employer-size and […]

Workplace Safety Retaliation in California During Busy Fall Months

Workplace Safety Retaliation in California During Busy Fall Months

If you report unsafe working conditions in California, state law may protect you from retaliation. Those protections do not disappear when fall workloads increase, holiday demand rises, or employers place more pressure on workers to meet production, staffing, delivery, or year-end goals. California Labor Code section 6310 protects many good-faith oral and written complaints about […]

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