‘Tis the season of making lists and checking them twice. The same is true for California employers. As we have previously written, in January, many new laws affecting California employers go into effect.

Now that the California legislative session for 2019 has come to a close, it’s time to review the new laws that impact the workplace, update policies accordingly, and train relevant managers and staff.

This is bill-signing season in California, and in the last few weeks, the Legislature has approved two bills of note: Sexual Harassment Training Deadline Extended and California Wades Further Into Worker Classification Debate

In California, it is unambiguous that sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination are unlawful.
In recent years, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing has issued key regulations on protections for gender identity and expression. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 2, §§ 11030 – 11031.)

The California Labor Code contains over 9,000 sections (yes, you read that right)! And many of the most significant California employment laws are not even codified in the Labor Code, such as the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Government Code sec.12940, et seq.).

Many commentators today discuss "the future of work," and predict massive disruption in the labor force. I agree that change will happen, but I also believe that many of the dire warnings about automation are hyperbole.