A Comprehensive Employment Law Guidebook for California Employers

Spanning almost 800 pages, this guidebook is designed for California business owners, human resources professionals, managers, in-house counsel, and advisors who need practical, reliable guidance they can actually use.

The guide covers the full employment lifecycle—from pre-hire, hiring, and onboarding through discipline, termination, and post-employment issues—and includes over 100 ready-to-use sample forms, policies, and checklists that employers can immediately adapt and implement.

This is not a theoretical treatise. It is a plain-language, “nuts-and-bolts” reference, grounded in Scott & Whitehead’s extensive experience counseling employers and defending employment litigation, including wage-and-hour class actions, PAGA representative actions, and discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims. 

Topics Covered Include:

Employment Law Fundamentals: Documentation, Discipline & Discharge

• Hiring and onboarding practices
• Personnel and payroll records
• Employee handbooks and policies
• Effective documentation and performance management
• Progressive discipline and termination best practices
• What juries look for in employment cases

Wage & Hour, Leaves, and Employee Benefits

• California wage and hour compliance
• Timekeeping and pay practices
• Wage equality and pay transparency
• Employee benefits, COBRA, and Cal-COBRA
• Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship
• Leaves of absence and protected time off
• Employee vs. independent contractor classification

Real-World Workplace Challenges

• Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• Workplace investigations
• Employee privacy and communications
• Drugs, alcohol, and testing issues
• Confidential information and trade secrets
• Workplace safety, injury prevention, and violence prevention
• Social media, technology, and employee rights
• Union-related issues and labor relations

This guidebook is designed to help employers:

• Establish compliant, defensible employment practices
• Reduce litigation risk and prevent costly mistakes
• Address workplace issues before they escalate into claims or lawsuits
• Respond confidently to day-to-day HR and management challenges