The Workplace: a Podcast by CalChamber

Much has happened over the weekend on a national scale and for California, there is rising concern among business owners and employers due to the rapidly changing issue of COVID-19. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss working remotely, the resources available for employees and Governor Gavin Newsom’s guidance on the state’s aging workforce.

As the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, continues to spread throughout communities, state and local governments are providing wage replacement options to affected workers. There is a lot of information out there, so on today’s episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank breaks down exactly what employers need to know: what wage replacement resources are available for workers, what employers can do to minimize the spread of the virus at the office, and a comprehensive source for all relevant workplace-related coronavirus news.

Coronavirus continues to dominate the news, raising concerns among individuals and for our economy. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank is joined by economist Christopher Thornberg, Ph.D, founding partner of Beacon Economics, to discuss the COVID-19 coronavirus and its possible impact on the economy and businesses.

Employees who get injured at work, whether due to an accident or an illness can file a workers’ compensation claim. What employers may not know is that employees who file a workers’ comp claim are also protected from retaliation. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss California Labor Code Section 132a claims and provide tips on how to avoid common problems.

Given how much time people spend at work, it comes as no surprise that many people date or have dated someone at their workplace. But with a lot of hooking up, there is also a lot of breaking up. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss workplace dating, and what employers should and shouldn’t do if employees begin romantic relationships in the workplace.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank is joined by special guest Donald M. Falk, partner at Mayer Brown, to discuss the CalChamber’s successful legal challenge to AB 51 that he helped lead and what steps employers should take now that a preliminary injunction has been issued.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law expert Jennifer Shaw discuss the ways that cultural events like the Super Bowl  and the Academy Awards can create potential issues and affect productivity at work.  

In keeping with the new year theme, today's podcast includes two new "sleeper laws" that took effect on Jan. 1, 2020. These laws have not been highly publicized or spoken about frequently in the news, yet are still important for employers to know. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law experts Matthew Roberts and Bianca Saad highlight laws on domestic partnerships and flexible spending accounts, sexual harassment prevention deadlines, and new required updates for workplace posters and pamphlets.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law experts Matthew Roberts and Bianca Saad recap the topics on which they received the most questions during their seminars: the CROWN Act, expansion of lactation accommodation law, wildfire regulations, and meal and rest breaks.

California's new lactation accommodation requirements, effective Jan. 1, 2020, impacts a broad spectrum of California employers. In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Executive Vice President and General Counsel Erika Frank and employment law experts Matthew Roberts and Bianca Saad discuss new lactation accommodation requirements, highlighting location specifications, a new policy requirement, rest and meal break premium pay penalties, private right of action, exceptions, and the undue hardship exemption.