Parental Leave

​SB 63 just passed a hurdle in Sacramento, and you need to pay attention if you own a small business.

"SB 63 prohibits an employer from refusing to allow an employee with more than 12 months of service with the employer, who has at least 1,250 hours of service with the employer during the previous 12-month period, and who works at a worksite in which the employer employs at least 20 employees within 75 miles, to take up to 12 weeks of parental leave to bond with a new child within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement. The bill also prohibits an employer from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes this leave.
CalChamber has identified SB 63 as a job killer because the legislation targets and could significantly harm small employers in California with as few as 20 employees by adding to the existing burden under which they already struggle. Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. vetoed a similar, but narrower, proposal just last year."

More simply, if you have 20 employees, you may be required to give up to 7 months off for their parental leave....

Can you afford this?

​Read the rest below

​Forbes is an excellent resource for business - and, thank goodness we are not trying to invent the interview "wheel"! (click on the picture for the link to their article)

Below are 25 questions that you can try out in your next job interview (just ask a few of them that really hit HOME for you) - or if you are the interviewer, practice them on yourself.  
How would you answer these?

25 Great Questions To Ask At The Job Interview
1. What is the history of this role? Is it a new position, or was there someone in the job before?
2. What would you say is the overall purpose of the job?
3. How does this position help your department achieve its goals?
4. How does your department fit into the organization overall?
5. Who are the other members of the department (by position) and how would we all interact?
6. Who are the internal customers for this position (by job title) and how would I support them if I were in this role?
7. What are the major metrics or yardsticks for the person in this position?
8. What are you hoping for your new hire to accomplish in the first three months on the job?
9. How do you envision your new hire stepping into the role? Will they jump in and ask a lot of questions to learn the job, or do you expect them to follow a week-by-week or day-by-day training plan, or something else?
10. What do you see as the major goals for the person in this role over the next year?
11. How do you anticipate interacting with your new hire -- do you have a weekly one-on-one meeting, or do you mostly rely on email, or something else?
12. How does your department communicate? Do you meet as a group, or communicate another way?
13. What are the working hours, and your expectations for overtime?
14. What sorts of technology will your new employee use in the job?
15. What kinds of writing will your new person do?
16. You are interviewing me, an external candidate. Often job openings are filled from within the company. What made you think about interviewing external candidates like me this time?
17. What are the items you'd most like to see your new employee take care of and check off your list right away?
18. How will the arrival of your new employee make your life easier?
19. How do people typically dress for work in your department? Does that vary depending on their level of customer contact, or other factors?
20. What are your thoughts on working from home -- for example when there's bad weather, or in general?
21. What are your expectations around arrival and departure times, and taking work home?
22. What would you say is the most fun or creative part of the job?
23. How did you get to the company, and to your current position?
24. What are the company's senior leaders like? What do they care about and talk about most?
25. When are you hoping for your new hire to start?

Whichever side of the table you're on, be ready, and enjoy the process as best you can.