Pay equity, parental leave, and criminal history are hot topics that have been grabbing attention for some time, and employers in California now need to prepare for three newly signed laws addressing those issues.
The new laws include restrictions on employers asking applicants questions related to salary history and criminal history and impose new parental leave requirements on small employers.
Pay equity
Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., recently signed Assembly Bill (AB) 168, which prohibits all employers in both the public and private sectors from seeking salary history information about applicants. The law also will require employers to provide the pay scale for a position to applicants upon reasonable request. The law takes effect January 1, 2018.
