Fairgrieve Law Office

W hope to see you tonight at the Halloween Stroll. Be sure to join us for the costume contest at 5pm. We'll be handing out candy at Fairgrieve Law Office so come give us a scare at 126 West Portal Ave. Be safe and have a great evening!

Are you making a fabulous second impression as a company? A strong onboarding process is a great way to ensure new employees begin their career with you with high morale, a sure way to build loyalty. We can help with your onboarding process and audit your policies beforehand. Call us at 415-890-6057 or email us at info@fairgrievelaw.com

In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, here’s another reminder of the need for finding accommodations for your disabled workers AND candidates! According to the EEOC, ABM Industry Groups extended a job offer to a candidate to work as a warehouse cleaner in a client facility. After the worker requested an accommodation for being deaf, ABM engaged in discussions with Norcal Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing regarding potential accommodations. However, the worker claims “to have waited for several months without a start date or further follow-up communication.” See https://ow.ly/MmYk50TS2hk Did you know the EEOC defines reasonable accommodation as “changes to the ways things are usually done” that enable an individual with a disability to enjoy equal employment opportunities? For information about accommodating workers who are deaf or hard of hearing in the workplace, visit: https://ow.ly/cFb950TS2hm. Call us at 415-890-6057 or email us at info@fairgrievelaw.com if you need further assistance.

If you attend the annual West Portal Halloween Stroll, be sure to stop by our office for Halloween treats at 126 West Portal Ave. Hope to see you at the costume contest at 5pm at 215 West Portal. Categories include children, adults, and pets!

As election season approaches it is important to remember CA law protects political activities. Employers may not prevent employees from engaging in or participating in politics or from becoming candidates for public office. Employers also cannot have any rules that control or direct employees, political activities, or affiliations. Threatening to fire an employee based on the employees’ political activity is outright prohibited. Need help figuring out how to handle political activities in the workplace? Reach out with any questions. Give us a call at 415-890-6057 or email info@fairgrievelaw.com.

Remember, California law requires all employers of 5 or more employees to provide training to its supervisory and nonsupervisory employees on sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention. Every two years (or within 6 months of hire or promotion), nonsupervisory employees must receive at least one hour of training and supervisory employees must receive at least two hours of training. The training may be completed all at once or in segments, if the applicable hourly total requirement is met. The law requires the training to include practical examples of harassment based on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. California Employer Requirements include: * Employers must retain records of all employees’ training for a minimum of two years. * Employers must provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training to employees every two years. * Employers must provide employees with a poster or fact sheet developed by the Department regarding sexual harassment, or equivalent information Book your training today. Give us a call at 415-890-6057 or email info@fairgrievelaw.com

It’s almost election day. Did you know you are required to post posters 10 days before a statewide election? California Elections Code section 14001 requires employers to post (or distribute?) a notice to employees advising them of provisions for taking paid leave for the purpose of voting in statewide elections. Employees are eligible for paid time off for the purpose of voting only if they do not have sufficient time outside of working hours to vote. The intent of the law is to provide an opportunity to vote to workers who would not be able to do so because of their jobs. You may call the Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 to order posters of the notices or download here: https://lnkd.in/gunPN9ZR.

This is a horrifying example of awful taste and laws broken by a supervisor that landed ResourceOne (a commercial printing, direct mailing and direct marketing company) in a racial discrimination lawsuit. The EEOC charged the harassment was so intolerable the employee resigned. In fact, reading about it was so intolerable that we will not re-write the details. You can see for yourself at https://ow.ly/itvI50TN63S A takeaway you may not know from this example is ResourceOne’s conduct violated the “Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)”, which prohibits discrimination and harassment in the workplace based on genetic information. ResourceOne is to monetary damages to the former employee and to adopt and maintain policies and procedures designed to prevent future discrimination. They must also provide employee training regarding compliance with GINA and Title VII. The decree requires ResourceOne to notify employees about their right to be free from discrimination and harassment based on race, national origin and genetic information. Does your anti-harassment training and policies educate on the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act? If not, let us know immediately so we can get you in compliance. Call us at 415-890-6057 or email us at info@fairgrievelaw.com

Have you received a harassment complaint? Don’t panic. We help employers who receive a complaint to handle it properly. When our client receives a complaint of harassment from an employee, we walk them through their response to make sure it is adequate and appropriate. Our role can include helping them find an investigator, guiding their communications with employees, helping them understand their legal obligations after the investigation and advising on steps they need to take to provide a harassment-free work environment. Call us at 415-890-6057 or email us at info@fairgrievelaw.com

Are you a law firm owner or manager who finds being an employer daunting? Join us tomorrow for a great talk covering these topics: * Avoid common pitfalls in hiring * Learn which wage and hour laws are most likely to land you in hot water * Harassment and Discrimination. Still? Yes, still * Learn why you shouldn’t think of “at-will employment” as “at-will employment” * Everything you wanted to know about ERISA but were afraid to ask John Unruh, Dave Crutcher and I strive for you to walk away feeling confident and empowered. Sign up for the in-person or virtual program at https://lnkd.in/gp9m42jg