On March 24, 2020, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement issued guidance pertaining to the use of Paid Sick Leave under the San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (PSLO). This publication supersedes the OLSE’s guidance issued just last week. Employers should be aware of temporary changes in the PSLO rules specific to the
San Francisco Paid Sick Leave Expanded Due to COVID-19
Yesterday, San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed announced a “Workers and Families First Program” to offer additional paid sick leave benefits to employees who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will apply to San Francisco private sector workers, and if fully utilized, it could provide coverage for up to 25,000 San Francisco workers. Fortunately for already-struggling businesses, the Program is not compulsory. In addition, the Program will set aside $10 million in public funding to help offset the burden on who have to provide an additional five days of sick leave pay to workers, beyond their existing policies under SFPLO and state law.
According to the Mayor’s press release, “The Workers and Families First Program will provide City financial assistance to businesses and nonprofits to provide additional paid sick leave time to employees, over and above their existing policies. All San Francisco businesses will be eligible, with up to 20% of funds reserved for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The City will contribute up to one week (40 hours) at $15.59 per hour (minimum wage) per employee, or $623 per employee. The employer will pay the difference between the minimum wage and an employee’s full hourly wage.”
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Religious Employer Prevails Over Allegations That it Waived Religious Entity Exemption From FEHA
In 2018, this author blogged about how religious entities can navigate the potential traps when they seek to comply with the federal laws against anti-harassment, 
discrimination and retaliation laws by adopting handbook policies and training their employees, while protecting their status as exempt from the California analog to Title VII, the Fair Employment and Housing
California Employers Have Another Year To Comply With New Mandatory Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Requirements
Last year, new California legislation effective January 1, 2019 expanded the mandatory sexual harassment prevention training requirements for California employees. That law required that, by January 1, 2020, employers with 5 or more employees must provide their supervisory employees with two hours of classroom or other effective interactive training and education AND must provide their
The Request and Use of Background Checks by California Employers
By: Shauna Correia and Nicholas Ma
Many employers routinely conduct background checks of potential and current employees. It comes to no surprise that in the current digital age, employers can obtain extensive background information on applicants and employees quicker than ever from third party reporting companies. However, employers must remain vigilant to avoid receiving information