Seyfarth Synopsis: From Mark Zuckerberg to the mayor of Stockton, the concept of Universal Basic Income is catching fire. What is this newfangled concept, and what can employers expect in the new emerging economy?

UBI – What Is It?

Universal Basic Income—“UBI”—is a form of social security, or a citizen’s stipend, to ensure everyone with a basic income from the
Continue Reading Robots Are Taking Our Jobs! UBI and the Future Workplace

Seyfarth Synopsis: New statutory obligations for California employers in 2018 will include prohibitions on inquiries into applicants’ salary and conviction histories, expanding CFRA to employees of smaller employers, expansion of mandatory harassment training to include content on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and new immigration-related restrictions and obligations.

California Governor Jerry Brown spent his last day to sign
Continue Reading 2017 Labor & Employment Legislative Update: It’s Finally Over! (For Now…)

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. ~Cicero

Dearest Reader,

We have much to be grateful for this year:

  • Generous, smart colleagues who contribute regularly to our blog—more than 50 posts so far in 2016!
  • The recent honor of being recognized as one of the Top 100 Legal Blogs in


Continue Reading Counting Our Many Blessings—Thanks To You!

As a loyal reader of our CalPecs Blog, you know that last year’s Senate Bill 1038 eliminated the Fair Employment and Housing Commission, including its administrative adjudication of FEHA claims. The bill created a Fair Employment and Housing Council, to perform the former Commission’s regulatory functions. 

Is the Council a new and improved “FEHC”?  Time
Continue Reading A New And Improved FEHC? Report From The Fair Employment and Housing Council’s Inaugural Meeting

Isn’t it true that nationwide employers can interview and hire employees for their California offices so long as they follow federal hiring laws?  In a nutshell, no way.  Hiring in California presents a host of nuanced, state-specific rules that often add up to “don’ts.” We list a few for you below.

Don’t Oversell

Question:  We really would like to
Continue Reading Don’t Hire A Lawsuit: Five “Don’ts” When Hiring Employees in California

It’s here!  On April 30, we released the 2013 edition of Cal-Peculiarities: How California Employment Law is Different, the industry’s only annual guide that focuses exclusively on the most vexing aspects of employment law in the country’s most populous state.   Authored by Seyfarth’s California Workplace Solutions group, this 262-page guide captures the latest legislative, judicial and regulatory developments which
Continue Reading Seyfarth Shaw’s 2013 Cal-Peculiarities Publication – It’s Here!

As you may know, Seyfarth Shaw is the only firm to publish a book annually that highlights the inevitable changes in California law.  We want our blog readers to be the first to hear of the release of the 2013 edition! 

California continues to be “where the future happens” for employment law.  If your company does business in California, you
Continue Reading Seyfarth Shaw’s 2013 Cal-Peculiarities Publication – Coming Soon!

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?

What is so wrong with learning information like that? The answer
Continue Reading She Posted What? Employers Face Increased Legal Scrutiny For Using Social Media in Hiring Decisions

Picture this scenario:  you run a private residential facility for abused children.  Late one night, one of your computers is used to access pornographic web-sites and other inappropriate material in violation of several well-publicized workplace policies.  After further investigation, you learn that the inappropriate computer usage occurred on several occasions, but was limited to that one computer, which is located
Continue Reading To Film at Work, or Not to Film at Work — Is that the Question?