The Workplace: a Podcast by CalChamber

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad and CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts discuss what employers are required to do annually to comply with general industry workplace violence prevention standards.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss employers' questions about furloughs, layoffs and reducing employees' work hours to manage workforces during times of economic uncertainty while still being able to conduct business.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Covington & Burling LLP Partner Lindsey Tonsager and Covington & Burling LLP Associate Attorney Jayne Ponder discuss the California Privacy Protection Agency's (CPPA) latest regulatory efforts on automated decision-making technology (ADMT), also known more broadly as artificial intelligence (AI).   Read more at https://advocacy.calchamber.com/2025/05/13/how-privacy-agencys-proposed-ai-regulations-would-affect-california-businesses/ .

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss real employer questions from our Labor Law Helpline — including frequently asked questions and a few unusual ones.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara cover common mistakes employers encounter when working with pregnant employees who request leave due to their pregnancy.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene cover the often-overlooked soft skills supervisors need to lead their teams successfully.   Read more at https://advocacy.calchamber.com/2025/03/25/what-supervisors-need-to-know-part-ii-the-soft-skills/ .

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene tackle what is often referred to as “hard” compliance skills necessary for supervisors to help maintain a liability-free workplace in California.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber General Counsel of Labor and Employment, Bianca Saad and Associate General Counsel of Labor and Employment, Matthew Roberts are joined by Jonathan Mayes, CEO of Jonathan Mayes Consulting, to discuss some of the changes happening in the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) space following recent executive action from the White House.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss the importance of a well-built and up-to-date employee handbook.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Robert Moutrie discuss potential changes coming to the Workplace Violence Prevention Standards for General Industry.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara discuss California's paid sick leave law, sharing best practices to ensure compliance and avoid legal pitfalls.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and immigration law experts Greg Berk and Andrew Desposito discuss employer obligations during federal  immigration raids and audits.

 In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad and CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts discuss key compliance practices and reminders for California employers.  

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad and CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts discuss the wildfire-related regulations and best practices employers should know.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and emotional intelligence expert and keynote speaker Jen Shirkani share valuable insights on how emotional intelligence (EQ) can transform workplace dynamics, and share practical applications for leaders and HR professionals.  

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and emotional intelligence expert and keynote speaker Jen Shirkani discuss how successful managers and leaders leverage the power of emotional intelligence to engage and motivate their employees and associates.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman discuss regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the workplace proposed by the California Civil Rights Council (CRC).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman discuss the recent guidance released by the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency on changes to the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss SB 399 (Wahab; D-Hayward), which Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law last week. This new legislation, set to take effect on January 1, 2025, places restrictions on employer communications regarding political and religious matters.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and California Restaurant Association President and CEO Jot Condie discuss Proposition 32, a measure appearing on California's November Ballot that would increase the state's minimum wage to $18 an hour.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene examine two recent court cases—Bailey v. San Francisco District Attorney's Office and Okonowsky v. Garland—that highlight complex incidences of workplace harassment, retaliation, and social media.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad and CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts discuss two recent California Supreme Court decisions on California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), Stone v. Alameda Health System and Turrieta v. Lyft, Inc.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber General Counsel Bianca Saad discusses with CalChamber Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara and CalChamber Vice President of Human Resources Hilda Watson the common questions, practical challenges and lessons that employers have been experiencing as they implement their workplace violence prevention programs.  

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and PPIC researchers Sarah Bohn and Hans Johnson discuss how remote work is reshaping the California labor market.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss age-related litigation and harassment in the workplace.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman explain the recent reforms made to the California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) and provide compliance best practices.

In this episode of The Workplace Podcast, CalChamber President and CEO Jennifer Barrera and CalChamber Associate General Counsel of Labor and Employment Matthew Roberts discuss the compromise announced last Tuesday by Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas after months of discussions between labor advocates and the Fix PAGA coalition, which included CalChamber and representatives from the business community, non-profits, social justice advocates, and family farmers. 

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Senior Employment Law Counsel Erika Barbara discuss litigation trends and what steps employers can take to avoid or defend against claims.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss three recent court cases that affect employers: Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors, Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc., and Muldrow v. City of St. Louis.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts interviews former CalChamber employment law expert Ellen Savage to revisit memorable lessons from her 35-year career at the CalChamber.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and Senior Policy Advocate Robert Moutrie discuss the newest developments in California's indoor heat illness regulations.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Labor and Employment General Counsel Bianca Saad, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Employment Law Subject Matter Expert Vanessa Greene discuss some of the issues HR training attendees have been asking about recently.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman discuss a new bill in the California Legislature that would prohibit employers from communicating with employees during nonworking hours, AB 2751 (Haney; D-San Francisco).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts is joined by CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman and Chris Micheli, partner at Snodgrass & Micheli, LLC, to review some of the key employment law-related bills being discussed this legislative session.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and career consultant Nick Warner discuss the career advancement challenges remote workers face and give best practices for creating career opportunities in the current remote workplace environment.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber employment law expert Ellen Savage discuss what employers need to know about the latest expansion of the California Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act (SB 616).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts sits down with CalChamber Senior Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman and Chris Micheli, partner at Snodgrass & Micheli, LLC, to review some of the key bills and topics that arose during the 2023 legislative session and whether they will be discussed again this year as well as topics that may return from years past.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts sits down with Bianca Saad, CalChamber vice president of labor and employment for content, training and advice, to discuss the requirements of California's new workplace violence standard, SB 553 (Cortese; D-San Jose).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts and CalChamber Policy Advocate Ashley Hoffman review several new laws that will affect California employers in 2024: SB 616 (Gonzalez; D-Long Beach), expansion of paid sick leave; SB 848 (Rubio; D-Baldwin Park), reproductive-related bereavement leave; and two bills dealing with cannabis use, AB 2188 (Quirk; D-Hayward) and SB 700 (Bradford; D-Gardena).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Associate General Counsel Matthew Roberts, and Peter Bittner, award-winning multimedia journalist and artificial intelligence (AI) consultant, discuss the growing presence of AI in the workplace, exploring the various ways it is transforming business operations. 

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, employment law expert Matthew Roberts and Chris Micheli, partner with Aprea & Micheli, Inc., join up again to give a second update on remaining key labor and employment-related bills that await the Governor's pen. The proposals discussed include a bill setting a workplace violence standard, SB 553 (Cortese; D-San Jose); a WARN Act expansion, AB 1356 (Haney D-San Francisco);  a notice requirement to return remote employees to the workplace, SB 731 (Ashby; D-Sacramento); a CalChamber-opposed bill setting an onerous return to work mandate, SB 723 (Durazo; D-Los Angeles); and a CalChamber-opposed bill establishing a 90-day retaliation presumption, SB 497 (Smallwood-Cuevas; D-Los Angeles).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, employment law expert Matthew Roberts and Chris Micheli, adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law and a partner with Aprea & Micheli, Inc., give an update on important labor and employment-related bills that passed the California Legislature last week, including bills on discrimination in the workplace (SB 403 (Wahab; D-Hayward), CalChamber job killer bill AB 524 (Wicks; D-Oakland), CalChamber-opposed bill AB 2188 (Quirk; D-Hayward), and SB 700 (Bradford; D-Gardena)); expansion of paid sick leave (CalChamber job killer bill SB 616 (Gonzalez; D-Long Beach)); and reproductive-related bereavement leave (CalChamber “Oppose Unless Amended” bill SB 848 (Rubio; D-Baldwin Park)).

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law experts Matthew Roberts and James Ward discuss the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruling in Stericycle, Inc. and Teamsters Local 628, and how it affects California employers' workplace rules and handbooks.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law experts Matthew Roberts and Ellen Savage discuss some of the latest labor and employment issues of concern to California employers, including: remote workers moving out of state; termination and layoff best practices; working minors; and school-related leaves of absence.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law experts Matthew Roberts and Ellen Savage discuss some of the latest labor and employment issues concerning California employers, including: remote work expense reimbursements; religious accommodation requests; lactation accommodations; and pet bereavement leave.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law expert Matthew Roberts sits down with Bianca Saad, CalChamber vice president of labor and employment for content, training and advice, to discuss unlimited paid time off (PTO) policies.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber Helpline manager and employment law counsel Matthew Roberts and Chris Micheli, of Aprea & Micheli, give an update on important labor and employment-related bills in the California Legislature that employers should keep an eye on, such as SB 616, which expands California's paid sick leave law; AB 524, which adds a new protected class under the Fair Employment and Housing Act; SB 399, which bans employers' speech; SB 365, which undermines arbitration; and SB 809, which prohibits consideration of conviction history in employment.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law expert Matthew Roberts sits down with CalChamber Policy Advocate Robert Moutrie to discuss the newest developments in California's indoor heat regulations and proposed legislation, SB 553, dealing with workplace violence rules.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law expert Matthew Roberts sits down with Bianca Saad, CalChamber vice president of labor and employment for content, training and advice, to discuss the legal requirements of the California Fair Pay Act and provide best practices for improving compliance.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law expert Matthew Roberts speaks with clinical social worker Amanda Gibson about mental health in the workplace, including how employers can detect mental distress in workers and what to do to help.

In this episode of The Workplace podcast, CalChamber employment law expert Matthew Roberts and CREtelligent Chief Experience Officer Tobi Lutz discuss how employers can create a better work environment for mental health.