Category: Benefits

Losing your employee health insurance, along with your job, could be devastating. According to law, your employer must provide notice of your opportunity to continue your employee health insurance if your employment ends for any reason, except for gross misconduct. There are substantial penalties for failure to notify employees of this provision. You may continue…

I was fired so I cannot get unemployment benefits. This is a common misconception I often hear from clients. It is too bad because many of these workers may be unwittingly failing to claim thousands of dollars of unemployment compensation. Certainly layoffs are the traditional means by which terminated employees qualify for this money. However…

Your employer has just fired you in one breath and in the next offers you free outplacement services to find a new job. Employers often pay for outplacement services because fired employees who find a new job quickly are less likely to sue for wrongful termination. These services might include classes, counseling, offices, telephones, and…

It happens every year; vacations get me more organized and productive. Nonsense say some business owners. Vacations cost money, and employees are not as focused immediately before and after time off work. However, employers should not just tolerate employees vacations, but appreciate their value. I suspect many employees are like me. Everything gets more orderly…

by Patrick E. Turner Employee Rights Attorney Mission Viejo, California Q: If a salaried employee with the same company for 18 years has earned three weeks of paid vacation, received for the past 8 to 10 years, can the employer suddenly cut a week of this paid vacation? A: “In California, vacation is considered to…

by Patrick Mortimer Employee Rights Attorney Mission Viejo, California Q: I’ve been getting medical and dental insurance through COBRA with 8 months of eligibility left. My former employer is going or has gone out of business. Will this affect my COBRA? Is he obligated to provide it regardless of going out of business? A: “Employers…