Having a laid-back, friendly atmosphere at work can be a positive thing because it prompts people to be excited about coming to their job every day. A casual workspace can feel more like a family than a group of relative strangers. Unfortunately, some people can take...
Sexual Harassment
Court restores harassment lawsuit against Weinstein
High-profile lawsuits often cast light on sexual misconduct and empower everyday workers to pursue their rights. Late last month, a federal appeals court interpreted California law and reinstated actress Ashley Judd’s sexual harassment lawsuit against powerful movie...
What to do if you are sexually harassed in the workplace
Many people in the Woodland Hills area work for large corporations. Employee loyalty can lead some people to stay with one employer for decades, and these employees deserve to be treated fairly in the workplace. Unfortunately, sexual harassment in the workplace is an...
Time’s Up moves to help health care workers
A group called Time's Up Healthcare will aim to resolve issues related to harassment and discrimination that workers in California and elsewhere may face. It will try to accomplish this goal in part by seeking greater gender balance among health care leadership. This...
California expands sexual harassment protections to business or service relationships
In response to the recent high-profile allegations of sexual harassment following the #MeToo campaign, the California legislature passed Senate Bill 224 (SB-224) to expand existing protections of employees and applicants from sexual harassment in the workplace. In...
Employers’ right to silence sexual harassment victims restricted under new California law
Under Assembly Bill 3109 (AB-3109), any contract or settlement agreement will be deemed void and unenforceable if it contains a provision waiving a party's right to testify regarding criminal conduct or sexual harassment by the other party or the other party's...
California employers new sexual harassment training laws
California employers may need to revisit their sexual-harassment-prevention training to ensure compliance with the newly enacted Senate Bill 1343 (SB 1343). Prior to SB 1343, only businesses employing 50 or more workers were required to provide...
No more secret “me too” settlements in California
Sexual harassment and/or discrimination settlement agreements have often included confidentiality provisions or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) prohibiting victims from disclosing terms of settlement and the underlying facts of their claim. Beginning January 1, 2019,...
Entertainment unions come together against workplace harassment
The #MeToo movement and revelations about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry and elsewhere have led to significant efforts to reform the industry in California and elsewhere. Harvey Weinstein, the prominent movie producer, was at the center of many of...
How to handle sexual harassment in the workplace
Sexual harassment can take place within retail establishments in California, so it is important that employers have a policy in place that describes what sexual harassment is and how it should be reported. Reports that are made should be forwarded to a human resources...