by Annie Lau, Fisher Phillips
California has some of the most expansive and complex employee leave laws in the country. This comprehensive guide is designed to help HR professionals, employers, and people managers understand and comply with California’s wide range of mandatory leaves of absence and employer‑provided leave obligations.
Covering everything from family and medical leave, pregnancy disability leave, and paid family leave to bereavement, reproductive loss, school‑related leave, military leave, crime victim protections, and rehabilitation leave, this resource provides in‑depth guidance on eligibility, length of leave, compensation, reinstatement rights, and prohibited employer actions. It also explores how California leave laws interact with federal requirements and other employment laws.
The guide addresses both statewide and local leave requirements, including industry‑specific and city‑level ordinances, and highlights key compliance responsibilities such as notice requirements, accommodations, enforcement risks, and penalties. Practical key action steps help HR teams apply the law in real‑world scenarios and reduce compliance risk.
Whether you are managing day‑to‑day absence issues or reviewing your organisation’s leave policies, this resource serves as a trusted reference for navigating California employee leave compliance now and as future developments arise.
In this guide, learn about:
- Leaves of absence
- Bereavement leave
- Leave for reproductive loss
- Leave requirements
- Prohibited actions
- Family and medical leave
- California Family Rights Act
- Pregnancy disability leave
- Paid family leave
- Kin care leave
- Family military leave
- Bone marrow and organ donor leave
- Length of leave
- Compensation and benefits
- Reinstatement
- Interaction with other laws
- Prohibited actions
- School activities leave
- School discipline leave
- Paid sick leave
- Crime victim leave
- Leave requirements
- Victims of violence accommodation requirements
- Employer notice requirements
- Prohibited actions
- Enforcement and penalties
- Key action steps
- Leave to attend judicial proceedings
- Leave for any proceeding where victims’ rights are at issue
- Jury duty leave
- Voting leave
- Election official leave
- Emergency responder leave
- Industrial injury leave
- Military leave
- Civil Air Patrol leave
- Literacy leave and accommodation
- Drug and alcohol rehabilitation leave
- Company-provided leave
- Training
- Local requirements
- Anaheim hotel worker victim leave
- Glendale hotel worker victim leave
- Los Angeles hotel workers victim leave
- Oakland hotel employee victim leave
- San Francisco formula retail employee rights ordinance
- San Francisco public health emergency leave
- Santa Monica hotel worker victim leave
- Future developments
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About the author
Fisher Phillps
Fisher Phillps represents management in the areas of labor and employment law. Their areas of expertise include employment discrimination and harassment, litigation of employment disputes, labor relations, employee leaves and wage and hour law.
With offices and attorneys admitted in almost every US jurisdiction, Fisher Phillips knows the local courts and agencies where they practice and have the resources to work seamlessly across offices to handle the most complex problems. They assist their clients with respect to global movement of employees, compliance with employment laws and codes of business ethics of other countries, and international employment contract and employee benefits issues.
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