How California Small Businesses Can Navigate Evolving Employment Laws – Corinne Spencer and Brianna Pearlman Author Law360 Article

California small businesses employ approximately 48.5% of the state’s private workforce, and businesses with fewer than 20 employees have the largest share of small-business employment. Unfortunately, this group of mom-and-pop employers who make up the backbone of the California economy are the most vulnerable to employment law violations because they may lack the resources or knowledge to protect themselves. In their article for Law360, Corinne Spencer, Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group, and Associate Brianna Pearlman discuss five common employment-related errors for small companies — from arbitration missteps to wage and hour violations — and explore what employers can do to reduce risk in this ever-changing landscape.

“It’s imperative that small employers avoid the ‘bury their head in the sand’ approach when it comes to navigating California’s employment laws,” Spencer and Pearlman wrote. “Just because something has been done the same way for 20 years, or the employees chose the practice themselves, those businesses are not absolved of liability. Rather, employers should be active participants and remain in the know on California’s broad employment law landscape. Otherwise, they expose themselves to costly litigation where ignorance of the law is never a valid defense.”

Read the full Law360 article here. (subscription required)