With recent temperatures reaching triple digits, this special "hot" edition of our firm's client alert focuses on heat illness prevention requirements for California employers. California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3395 requires all employers with “outdoor places of employment” to implement a heat illness prevention program that includes providing workers five-minute “cooldown” rest breaks in the shade. If an employee exhibits signs or reports symptoms of heat illn

As previously reported, on August 3, a federal court ruling held that several features of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)'s regulations implementing the paid-leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) exceeded the agency's authority under federal law. In addition, last month, the CDC changed its guidance and stated that a test-based strategy is no longer recommended to determine when to discontinue home isolation, except in certain circumstance

Below is a client alert regarding an August 3 federal court ruling which held that several features of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)'s regulations implementing the paid-leave provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) exceeded the agency's authority under federal law, and our analysis of the practical implications to employers in California. Background Information In a recently decided case of State of New York v. U.S. Department of Labor, et al.,

Boucher Law is thrilled to welcome the addition of Jill Engelmann, Senior Practice Leader, who will be leading our firm's newly-created Executive Services Division as part of our strategic growth to meet the needs of our clients in seeking trusted talent acquisition and classification and compensation support. Jill's experience as a respected executive recruiter and and expertise as a class/comp professional will greatly expand our firm's portfolio of services to meet today's

On April 17, several California counties announced the requirement for individuals to wear a face covering when they need to leave their home to work or obtain essential goods and services. This includes requiring employees who work for Essential Businesses and Government Functions to wear a face covering while at work in most settings. As the requirements for each county vary, below are some general guidelines regarding the impact of these new requirements in the workplace (

The long-awaited regulations from the Department of Labor was released on April 1. The 125-page document sets forth the DOL's interpretation on the qualifying circumstances to approve leave, when leave may be reasonably denied, documentation requirements, and substitution of other leave benefits while on EPSLA and/or EFMLEA leaves. Separately, the IRS also provided guidance on needed documentation. Accordingly, we have analyzed the important provisions of the regulations, and

Boucher Law is honored to partner with CalGovHR, California's leading statewide organization representing over 10,000 public sector and nonprofit human resources professionals at the federal, state, and local government levels, to provide timely and relevant training on issues faced by HR professionals related to COVID-19 in the workplace. Titled the "Leading HR Through COVID-19" webinar series, each webinar session is intended to discuss rapidly evolving matters related to C

As one of the few distinct labor and employment law firms in California that has pioneered a completely paperless law practice, Boucher Law's attorney and staff are ready to assist our clients in spite of the evolving COVID-19 situation. Below is a summary of the efforts we have taken to meet our service commitment to our clients during this time: - Although staff will not be performing work out of our Berkeley or Glendale offices, consistent with our usual business practice,

According to OSHA, nearly 2 million American workers report having been victims of workplace violence each year. Based on real life experiences and lessons learned, HR must be prepared to promptly respond to workplace violence incidents such as the following: An employee suddenly expresses fascination with guns and rifles; An employee tells their supervisor that they are "suicidal"; An employee receives an email at work expressing threats of violence; An employee expresses co

Under California Senate Bill 778, all California employers with five or more employees must now provide at least two hours of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment to all supervisory employees, and at least one hour of classroom or other effective interactive training and education regarding sexual harassment to all non-supervisory employees by January 1, 2021, and once every two years thereafter. In addition, new non-supe

We are pleased to announce that effective January 2020, Boucher Law is officially “live.” Founded by Christopher K. Boucher, a seasoned HR executive with a broad spectrum of industry experience, Boucher Law was formed to serve the needs of today's HR professionals as a HR-centric and HR-focused labor and employment law firm. With changing federal, state, and local laws and regulations, our team pride ourselves in providing innovative, responsive, and practical legal solutions