Articles

Your Spoken Safety Complaint Can Count Under California Law Key Takeaways: Yes, a verbal safety complaint to your supervisor is often legally protected in California, because Labor Code § 6310 covers "any oral or written complaint" about unsafe working conditions made to an employer. Other laws may also protect spoken

How California Law Defines a Disability in the Workplace Key Takeaways: California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) defines disability at work broadly. It covers physical and mental disabilities that simply "limit" a major life activity, a lower bar than the federal ADA’s "substantially limits" standard. It also separately protects

Meeting Every PIP Goal Does Not Always Protect Your Job Key Takeaways: Yes, a California employer can generally fire you after a performance improvement plan even if you met every goal. Under at-will employment, a PIP is usually not a contract that guarantees your job. A firing may become unlawful

Your Right to Choose Court Over Arbitration for Harassment Claims Key Takeaways: In most cases, your employer generally cannot force a sexual harassment claim into arbitration if the dispute arose or accrued on or after March 3, 2022, because the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment

Does California Law Protect You From a Former Employer’s Retaliation? Key Takeaways: Yes, a former employer can often be held liable for retaliating against you after you leave. FEHA protects "any person" who engaged in protected activity, and the California Labor Code and federal law have also been applied to

What Does It Mean When an Employer’s Reason for Firing You Is a Pretext? Key Takeaways: A pretext is a false or misleading reason an employer gives to hide an unlawful motive for firing someone, such as discrimination or retaliation. California courts usually analyze these claims under FEHA with a

The Document Your Employer Wants Signed Quickly: A Closer Look at California Severance Offers Key Takeaways: A severance agreement trades money or benefits for your release of legal claims, so before signing you should understand which claims you’re giving up and what they may be worth. California’s Labor Code §

Taking Medical Leave in Pieces: A California Employee’s Guide Key Takeaways: Intermittent FMLA leave lets an eligible employee take protected time off in separate blocks or on a reduced schedule rather than one continuous stretch, using hours from the same 12-week entitlement. In California, federal FMLA and the California Family

Being Fired "At Will" Does Not Mean Being Fired for Any Reason Key Takeaways: California’s at-will presumption under Labor Code § 2922 lets either party end employment at any time, but not for an illegal reason. Main exceptions include terminations that violate public policy (Tameny claims), statutory protections such as