As California employers prepare for the new year, part of their planning will include gearing up for new employment laws, most of which went into effect January 1, 2018. Employers can expect a wide array of changes that will warrant reviews or revisions to their existing employment forms and policies. 

To help navigate these changes, Dinsmore is pleased to offer a complimentary 2018 Employment Law Update Webinar, hosted by Partner Adriana Cara. This digital update will provide essential information to employers that will help them to avoid potential problems, including: 

• Employers now prohibited from asking applicants about their salary history, and benefits (AB 168). Learn what type of questions may open your company up to liability, and the steps you will need to take to minimize the risk of liability at the hiring stage. 
• Employers are Now Prohibited from Requesting Criminal History Absent a Conditional Offer of Employment (AB 1008).  Find out how to modify your hiring process to comply with the new law’s mandates, and what is meant by the requirement that employers engage in an “individual assessment” as to each applicant where he or she has a criminal history.
• New Parent Leave Act Requires Small Employers to Provide Baby-Bonding Leave (AB 63).  Employers with at least 20 employees will now be required to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a new child within a year of the child’s birth or adoption. Although unpaid, affected employers will be required to maintain employee benefits.  Find out what you will need to do to comply, and how this new law will interface with the California Family Rights Act (“CFRA”) and the federal Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”).