HR Training & Certification Programs In San Francisco

The Health Care Security Ordinance Is About Spending, Not Just Offering Insurance

San Francisco's Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO) requires covered employers to make qualifying health care expenditures for covered employees. The required expenditure is calculated using applicable rules and rates, including the employee's eligible paid hours.

Covered employers also have reporting, notice, and recordkeeping responsibilities. The annual report is submitted to the city's Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE).

This requirement can create problems in two ways. First, offering a health plan does not automatically mean an employer has met its expenditure obligation for every covered employee. Part-time employees may need particular attention. Second, the reporting requirement is separate from the spending requirement. Meeting the expenditure obligation does not necessarily eliminate the duty to submit a report.

HCSO expenditure rates and filing deadlines can change. Check the current requirements directly with the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement before calculating your obligations or preparing the annual report.

Paid Parental Leave Adds to California's State Benefit

California Paid Family Leave provides partial wage replacement to eligible employees taking qualifying leave. San Francisco's Paid Parental Leave Ordinance can require covered employers to provide supplemental pay to eligible employees bonding with a new child.

The local requirement is designed to supplement the state benefit, subject to the ordinance's coverage rules, payment limits, and other conditions. Employers must understand when the employee receives state benefits and how to calculate any required supplemental payment.

HR and payroll should coordinate the employee's leave dates, state benefit information, required forms, and company parental leave policy. Establish a consistent procedure before an employee begins leave so the supplemental payment is calculated and documented correctly.

Predictable Scheduling Rules for Covered Retail Employers

San Francisco's Formula Retail Employee Rights Ordinances establish scheduling requirements for certain covered retail employers. Depending on coverage and the circumstances, the rules can require employers to:

• Provide written work schedules in advance.
• Pay additional compensation for certain schedule changes made on short notice.
• Provide required compensation when certain scheduled or on-call shifts are canceled.
• Offer additional available hours to existing part-time employees before hiring new employees, subject to applicable requirements.

Retail and food businesses entering San Francisco may bring scheduling practices that do not meet local requirements. Employers should review whether their locations, ownership structure, number of locations, and business type fall within the applicable definitions.

Train store managers and scheduling staff to document schedule changes, employee availability, shift cancellations, and any additional compensation owed. Waiting until a payroll complaint arises can make it harder to reconstruct what happened.

Fair Chance Hiring and the Salary History Ban

San Francisco's Fair Chance Ordinance limits when and how covered employers may inquire about or use an applicant's criminal history. Applicable requirements may include restrictions on the timing of inquiries, individualized assessments, notices, and opportunities for applicants to respond.

San Francisco also restricts employers from asking about an applicant's salary history or using past compensation to determine pay. Separately, California law generally requires employers with 15 or more employees to include pay scales in job postings, and employers must provide a position's pay scale to an applicant upon reasonable request.

These rules affect job advertisements, application forms, interviews, background checks, and hiring decisions. Recruiters and hiring managers need training alongside HR staff so prohibited questions are not asked during the selection process.

Public Health Emergency Leave

San Francisco has a Public Health Emergency Leave Ordinance that provides covered employees with leave for qualifying circumstances associated with a declared public health emergency. Depending on the applicable rules, qualifying events can include certain emergency-related conditions and qualifying air quality events.

This leave is distinct from ordinary paid sick leave. Employers need to understand when the ordinance applies, how eligibility and available hours are calculated, and how the leave interacts with other benefits and leave requirements.

Because emergency leave rules and applicable declarations can change, review the current city guidance before updating your policy or denying a leave request.

Required Harassment Prevention Training

California generally requires employers with five or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training. Supervisors must receive at least two hours of training, and nonsupervisory employees must receive at least one hour. Training generally repeats every two years, with separate deadlines for new hires and newly promoted supervisors.

Employers should track completion dates, job classifications, hiring dates, and upcoming training deadlines. The HR certificate programs can help managers understand their responsibilities, while specialized harassment prevention training should satisfy the applicable statutory content and delivery requirements.

FEHA Covers Smaller Employers

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) generally applies to employers with five or more employees for employment discrimination claims. Its harassment prohibitions have broader employer coverage and generally apply even to employers with fewer than five employees.

Employers need reliable complaint procedures, prompt and impartial investigations, appropriate corrective action, and documentation of employment decisions.

CFRA and Pregnancy Disability Leave

The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) generally covers employers with five or more employees and provides qualifying employees with protected leave for specified family and medical reasons. CFRA's definition of family members differs from the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Pregnancy Disability Leave is a separate California requirement. Depending on the circumstances, pregnancy-related disability leave and CFRA bonding leave may apply at different times. Employers must evaluate each entitlement independently rather than assuming all leave programs run together.

The Certificate Program in FMLA, ADA, and PWFA Compliance helps HR professionals understand the interaction of federal leave, disability accommodation, and related requirements.

Pay Transparency and Annual Pay Data Reporting

California employers with 15 or more employees generally must include pay scales in job postings. Employers must provide a pay scale to an applicant upon reasonable request, and current employees can request the pay scale for their current position.

Covered employers with 100 or more employees may also have annual pay data reporting obligations, subject to the applicable statutory requirements, including rules for employees hired through labor contractors.

Maintain accurate job titles, compensation records, job posting ranges, and reporting data. Review the current California Civil Rights Department guidance to determine the applicable reporting requirements and deadlines.

Meal Breaks, Rest Breaks, and Final Pay

California has detailed rules on meal periods, rest periods, wage statements, and final pay. When an employer owes additional compensation because a required meal or rest period was not provided, the payment can affect wage calculations and wage statement compliance.

Payroll teams need accurate time records, clear break procedures, correct wage statements, and processes for handling separation pay deadlines.

The Payroll Wage & Hour Training & Certification Program covers wage-and-hour administration and the records that help employers identify and correct payroll problems.

Too Many Deadlines

San Francisco employers may need to track the HCSO annual report, retail scheduling obligations, recurring harassment training, California pay data reporting, and other city or state deadlines.

Employers that respond only when an issue arises are more likely to miss a filing or training deadline. Create a central compliance calendar with the responsible owner, due date, required documents, and confirmation that each task was completed.

Remote Workers and San Francisco Employers

Many Bay Area businesses employ people who work outside San Francisco, sometimes in other California cities or other states. The geographic scope of a local ordinance depends on the specific law and the employee's circumstances.

Some requirements depend on where work is performed, while others use employer or employee coverage rules that must be evaluated separately. Do not assume that a San Francisco headquarters automatically makes every local ordinance apply to every remote employee.

Map employee work locations, identify the laws applicable to each group, and review payroll and HR system settings whenever an employee changes work location.

Stock and Equity Compensation

Technology companies often use stock options, restricted stock units, bonuses, and other equity-based compensation. These arrangements can raise questions about wage calculations, overtime, final pay, and pay transparency.

The treatment of equity compensation depends on the compensation plan, the applicable wage rule, and the circumstances of the employee. HR and payroll should coordinate with legal and compensation specialists before deciding how a particular award is treated.

The Compensation Training & Certification Program provides a foundation for understanding pay structures, salary ranges, and compensation administration.

Layoffs With More Than One Notice Requirement

Federal WARN and California's separate WARN requirements may apply to layoffs and facility closures. California's law has different coverage rules and triggering events from the federal law. Additional local requirements may also apply to certain covered employers.

For a San Francisco employer planning a restructuring, determine which laws apply before announcing the change. The applicable notice period can set the timeline for employee communications, payroll, benefits, and the effective date of the reduction.

Have employment counsel review the planned action, workforce counts, affected locations, and notice obligations before finalizing a layoff schedule.

In-Person Certificate Programs

Instructor-led seminars in the San Francisco Bay Area offer structured learning and opportunities to discuss real-world HR situations with other professionals.

• HR Generalist Certificate Program
• Certificate Program in FMLA, ADA, and PWFA Compliance
• Internal Investigations Certificate Program
• strategic-hr-leadership-certificate-program/classroom-course

Live Virtual Training

The same certificate programs may be available through live online instruction. Virtual training is useful for Bay Area teams working across multiple offices or employees who cannot travel to an in-person seminar.

Online, Self-Paced Certifications

The online catalog includes certification programs covering FMLA, ADA, PWFA, COBRA, compensation, health savings accounts (HSA), and payroll. These programs let HR professionals build knowledge at their own pace.

Browse online HR certifications.

On-Site Training

Private seminars can be delivered at your San Francisco workplace and tailored to your organization's policies, employee population, and training priorities.

Explore on-site training options.