Bay Area Employment Law Blog
California senate pays $350,000 discrimination claim
A former employee of the California Senate won a discrimination suit against her former employer for failing to accommodate her needs and retaliating against her for requesting accommodations. The Senate was ordered to pay the former employee $350,000 -- a figure...
Were you fired or wrongfully terminated? What’s the difference?
Absent a clear violation of your contract, what's the difference between being unfairly fired and a wrongful termination? Neither are pleasant experiences, to be certain. Being unfairly let go from your position can happen for a number of reasons -- whether the boss...
The corporate culture is shifting against sexual harassers
There's been a remarkable change in the way that America is approaching the idea of gender equality and rights -- especially where sexual harassment is concerned. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that it has filed 50 percent more lawsuits...
Pregnancy discrimination at work: Your rights
Sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination in the workplace has dominated national conversations as of late -- but there's another form of discrimination that also affects the ability of women to get ahead: pregnancy discrimination. Biases against pregnancy...
Being fired unfairly? Handle yourself like a professional
Nobody enjoys being fired, but the whole experience is somehow vastly worse when you know you don't deserve it and believe it's nothing more than retaliation for exercising your rights as an employee. The important thing to do in this situation is to focus on your...
Don’t let the backlash against ‘MeToo’ intimidate you
America has been suffering from a lot of divisive beliefs lately -- including those surrounding the #MeToo movement. Many people believe the movement helped open the door to conversation about sexual harassment and sexual assault -- as well as reduce the stigma that...
How do you confront racist comments in the workplace?
Are you wondering what you can do to help stop racist comments and jokes in the workplace? Racism is a community issue and it will only end when it becomes clearly unacceptable by community standards. That will only happen when enough people decide to take a stand and...
How to avoid showing your age on your resume
Ageism and age discrimination can be a real problem when you're over 50 and trying to find a job. No matter what your qualifications and enthusiasm for a position, some employers won't seriously consider you if your resume makes you look too old. Hiding your age on a...
What do you do if you’re handed a performance improvement plan?
Performance improvement plans, or PIPs, are part of an employer's paper trail. PIPs are supposed to be tools that employers can use to address deficiencies in an employee's work. They're also supposed to be tools that help the employee understand exactly what he or...
What type of sexual harassment at work is actionable?
Sexual harassment in the workplace is a complicated issue. People are often confused about what the difference is between generally boorish behavior and something that is legally actionable. This is what everyone should know about sexual harassment in the workplace....