Summer is around the corner and your employees are likely planning vacations. There is no legal requirement for most employers to offer vacation or paid time off (PTO), but employers usually offer one or the other of these benefits to attract and retain employees.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer, who was caught in the crossfire earlier this year after axing Yahoo’s work from home policy, has expanded the company’s parental leave benefits.

On May 1, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that an Iowa jury awarded damages totaling $240 million — the largest verdict in the federal agency’s history — in a lawsuit related to disability discrimination and severe abuse.

A newly identified “job killer” bill will be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 7.

The California Chamber of Commerce today released its latest edition of CalChamber News featuring information about Covered California, the state’s health exchange.  Covered California is the first-in-the nation online health insurance marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act.  It will help individuals and small businesses compare health plans, get answers to questions, find out if they qualify for federal tax credits and enroll in a plan that meets their specific needs.

A Colorado court ruled that an employer can still fire an employee for a positive marijuana drug test, even though state law permits the medical and recreational use of marijuana.

California regulates wages and hours of nonexempt employees by creating documents called Wage Orders. There are 17 Wage Orders. You must determine which Wage Order(s) govern your business and post a copy of the applicable order(s) in your workplace.

Recently, minor technical revisions were made to all 17 Wage Orders. These revisions reflect that the Division of Labor Statics Research was eliminated last year and that many of its previous functions are now handled by the Office of Policy, Research and Legislation.

The revisions also include changes to contact information for the various Division of Labor Standards Enforcement offices throughout the state.

Updated versions of all 17 Wage Orders can be downloaded from DIR. The Wage Orders are free of charge. 

Wouldn’t we like to know if a potential applicant has ever criticized a former employer, or whether their online presence gives evidence of illegal activity or violent, discriminatory or unethical behavior? Or just poor judgment? What if they belong to political groups, like the Tea Party or the ACLU?