MLK Day is a federal holiday and recognized as a day of service to honor Dr. King's life and legacy of service to others. How will you serve your community today?

We've got a new Legally Sound | Smart Business podcast in the works on a topic we get questions about all the time - the right way to fire an employee. It's a skill every manager or business owner needs, but it can cause problems if not done properly. You definitely don't want to miss this one. More details coming soon!

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We've covered telecommuting quite a bit in articles and podcasts. So many employees are still working from home and many may be staying that way for a while - or even permanently. Brush up on your liabilities for telecommuting: https://www.pashalaw.com/?s=telecommuting

The Dept. of Labor has issued guidance for businesses regarding paid leave available through the FFCRA, which expired on Dec. 31, 2020. When the FFCRA expired, the requirement for offering paid sick leave to employees expired with it, unless the employee requested the leave for the timeframe the law was active, April 1, 2020 - Dec. 31, 2020. If an employee took sick time during that timeframe, businesses are required to pay them for it. While no longer required, it is generally advised to provide leave for those employees who are sick and not rush them back to work, increasing potential for spreading the COVID-19 virus.

As if California businesses didn’t already have enough to juggle amidst a global pandemic, employers were surprised to see the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) adopt an emergency temporary standard for COVID-19 testing, documenting, and reporting requirements. Just as concerning, employers were given little notice, as the new standard went into effect November 30, 2020, almost immediately after its adoption. Among the laundry list of requirements for employers, the new standard mandates that employees who are excluded from work for COVID-19 related reasons must continue to receive their earnings, seniority, benefits, and right to reinstatement.

“Using our extensive experience helping businesses discern and address potential and outstanding risks and liabilities, Pasha Law promotes cost-effective strategies and minimizes monies spent on redundancies and expensive litigation.”
-Rustam Abedinzadeh, Attorney

COVID-19 has placed an entirely different emphasis on workplace safety and a clean working environment. We've covered quite a few topics on your rights and responsibilities as an employer, including for testing and vaccinations. If you're looking for COVID-specific information on the blog, you can find it at this link: https://www.pashalaw.com/?s=Covid

The laws now state that employees must provide...

• Employers with 100 or more employees provide up to 56 hours of paid leave per year.
• Employers with fewer than 100 employees must provide 40 hours of paid leave each year.
• Employers with up to four employees must provide 40 hours of paid leave each year IF the company had a net income of at least $1M the previous tax year, or 40 hours of unpaid leave if the company had less than $1M in net income during the previous tax year.

We've been highlighting our 7Cs - the values we believe are imperative for quality service. This month, we'll discuss cost reduction - how efficient and effective work methodology helps reduce costs for our clients. Stay tuned as we ask our legal team how they uphold the value of Cost Reduction.

Did you know there is one US location in which burger chain Burger King is not able to use their brand name? In Mattoon, IL, the Hootses family was able to prove prior use of the name in court in 1968, despite the chain's successful trademark registration. As a result, the family can use the name only in the Mattoon area, and the Florida-based burger chain can use the name in every other area of the US, except for Mattoon, IL.

What are your business goals for 2021? While you're finalizing your goals and budgets, consider how having general counsel services with predictable monthly fees can provide you peace of mind while helping your business grow. Learn more about our General Counsel Select service at pashalaw.com/gcs