Rights Of Remote Workers In California
As working from home becomes more common, it’s necessary for employees to understand remote worker rights in California. Often, even going beyond federal standards, California has strong employee protections. This applies to telecommuting employee rights in the same way that it does for those who work in an office.
Here at Anticouni & Ricotta, we have over 50 years of experience representing attorneys in California. If you’re experiencing employment issues, our lawyers will be your aggressive advocates as you explore your options. We offer free initial consultations, so contact us today.
Discrimination And Harassment Protections For Remote Workers
Remote worker discrimination is prohibited, no matter what form it takes. Workers who are in protected classes may need to take action when they have been discriminated against. Protected classes include:
- Disability status
- Pregnancy status
- Race
- Religion
- Age
- National origin
- Sex and gender
When remote worker harassment or discrimination does occur, workers may need to know what legal steps to take to put an end to it and to prevent such behavior from happening again.
California Meal And Rest Break Laws For Remote Workers
Remote worker meal breaks are often mandatory. If a worker is going to be on the job for more than five hours in a single day, they are legally entitled to a 30-minute meal break. They get a second meal break if they exceed 10 hours in the day. Workers also deserve 10-minute rest breaks for every four hours that they are on the job.
It’s crucial that employers understand that work-from-home break requirements are still in effect, even though those workers are not physically on the site.
Reasonable Accommodations For California Remote Workers With Disabilities
In some cases, in order to adhere to ADA compliance, remote work accommodations are necessary. For instance, a remote worker who has to attend medical appointments on a regular basis may need a slightly altered schedule so that they can continue to work while still attending the appointments.
A worker with a visual impairment may need to use screen-reading software so that they can still work effectively from a distance using a computer, a laptop, a cellphone or another device. It’s important for employers to remember that there are work-from-home disability rights, so they need to make the same reasonable accommodations that they would make for employees in the office.
Taking Legal Action
As a remote worker in California, you may feel that your rights have been violated by your employer. If so, contact our team of experienced attorneys at 805-699-5968 or by using the online contact form.