As you find your footing in the new year, we wanted to send a quick reminder that it’s a great time to circle back to those best practices we mentioned.  Taking care of compliance issues in the first part of the year means you’ll have more time to focus on running your business.

As many of you know, California employment law compliance is not about good intentions—it’s about following the rules to the letter of the law. This holds true with employee wage statements (paystubs). Even seemingly minor violations of the Labor Code, like the wrong corporate address, can carry with them crushing penalties. These penalties apply to every employee, for every wage statement, for every pay period for up to a year until the violations are fixed.

Senate Bill 553, which amends Labor Code section 6401.7 and adds Section 6401.9 requires most California employers to establish and train on a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan no later than July 1, 2024.

Joining us from a prestigious Northern California employment law firm, Melissa has over two decades of employment law experience. A true Jill of all trades, Melissa is a litigator, trial attorney, advisor, trainer, and investigator. As a litigator, she has over 50 jury trials under her belt and focuses on defending harassment and discrimination claims (both in the courtroom and in early dispute resolution). Melissa also has broad expertise providing advice and counsel to employers, conducting impartial workplace investigations, and facilitating dynamic training for employees and HR professionals.

Have you heard the one about the clients who loved their lawyers so much they made a banner? As an oft-maligned profession, attorneys are much more familiar with clients avoiding them than singing their praises, so this was a first for us!