A hostile work environment is defined in California as conduct that occurs because of an employee’s sex, race, disability, or other protected traits and creates a hostile, offensive, oppressive, or intimidating work environment. Engaging in this type of behavior by anyone in the workplace is prohibited under the Fair Employment…

California has long had some of the most comprehensive sexual harassment laws in the entire United States, and recent changes to state employment laws have expanded harassment prohibitions to an even wider range of business relationships. This means that employees are no longer the only ones who can have a…

Under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employers should provide eligible employees 12 weeks of job-secured, unpaid leave to bond with their newborn or take care of their own health conditions or family members with qualified health conditions. Likewise, employers must provide job-secured, unpaid leave, also called pregnancy disability leave…

Employees who are considering becoming pregnant or who are pregnant often have concerns about how a possible pregnancy may affect their employment. Fortunately, the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as California’s Fair Employment and…