The California Chamber of Commerce has published a white paper and scheduled seminars to help employers prepare for new employment laws.
The newly enacted laws include leaves of absence, discrimination, pay scale and pay data, workplace safety and more.
White Paper
The Your Guide to 2023 California Employment Laws white paper is available now for CalChamber members under Cases & News in the HR Library on HRCalifornia.
Nonmembers can visit this link to download the white paper.
Explained in the white paper, for instance, is AB 1041, which expands who an employee can care for under both the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) and the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (HWHFA).
Right now, both laws allow employees to take leave to care for a spouse, registered domestic partner, child, parent, parent-in-law, grandparent, grandchild and sibling.
But in the new year, employees also can take CFRA leave or paid sick leave to care for a “designated person.” It’s important to note that AB 1041 amends two distinct laws, and the CFRA and the HWHFA each define a designated person differently.
Two different discrimination-related bills — SB 523 and AB 2188 — expand the scope of California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
SB 523 amends the FEHA to make it unlawful to discriminate against an employee or job applicant based on their “reproductive health decision-making,” while AB 2188 will, beginning January 1, 2024, prohibit employers from discriminating against employees or applicants based on their off-duty, off-site cannabis use.
In addition to the bills above, the white paper also discusses the newly approved California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which amends the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as:
• The new protected leave of absence for bereavement;
• Employers’ new requirement to make pay scale information available to job applicants and employees, and California’s expanded pay data reporting requirements.
• Extensions to the current wage replacement rates for California’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) programs;
• Revisions to the CalSavers Retirement Savings Program (CalSavers), which expands on the definition of “eligible employer;”
• COVID-19-related legislation set to expire on January 1, 2023, but now extended to January 1, 2024; and
• Much more.
Virtual/In-Person Seminars
Employers needing more preparation for these new laws can register now for one of the CalChamber 2023 Employment Law Updates seminars. And for the first time since 2020, in-person seminars are back!
Whether attending an in-person event or one that’s held virtually, attendees will have the opportunity to engage with CalChamber employment law experts on recent California and federal laws, regulations and court decisions, and how these will affect business in the new year.
In addition to interacting with the seminar presenters, in-person attendees will be able to exchange insights with fellow attendees.
The 2023 virtual seminars are scheduled for January 6, 10 and 24, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
The in-person seminars are scheduled for January 12 in Sacramento, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT, and January 19 in Costa Mesa, 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. PT.
For more information or to register, visit the CalChamber Store.
