Fractional HR Leadership for California Companies

Who This Is For

Founders, CEOs and COOs of California companies with 12 to 350 employees and no HR person, or an HR gap because the last one left. I work with clients across the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, the Inland Empire and Sonoma, all served virtually.

Urgent Employee Issue? Start Here.

Put "urgent" in your message, or say so when you book, and you'll hear back within four business hours. Most California clients start exactly this way, with a termination, a complaint or a leave question that can't wait. We handle that first, then fix what caused it.

Terminations in California, Done Right

California doesn't give you much room for "we'll sort it out later." When an employee is fired, all final wages, including accrued vacation, are due immediately at the time of termination, and late pay can cost a day's wages for every day it's late, up to 30 days, according to the California Labor Commissioner.

Here's how I handle it with you.

• Before: I review the reason, the records and what was said, and flag anything that belongs with an employment attorney.
• The plan: the script, the steps, final pay timing and answers to the questions your employee and your team will ask.
• The meeting: most of the time I set your manager up to run it with confidence, and when it calls for it, I'll join by video.
• After: what to tell the team, so one exit doesn't turn into three.

I'm not a lawyer. HR prepares, your attorney reviews, and when you need one, I'll tell you who I'd call.

The California Rules That Trip Up Small Companies

Most of California's big employee rules kick in at just five employees, according to the California Civil Rights Department. A few that catch owners off guard:

• Job protected family and medical leave under CFRA, for employers with five or more employees.
• Up to four months of pregnancy disability leave, for employers with five or more employees.
• Harassment prevention training for supervisors and staff, for employers with five or more employees.
• A written workplace violence prevention plan for most employers, which I broke down in this California workplace violence prevention guide.

If you've got 12 people and none of this is written down, you're not alone, and it's fixable in a 90 day build.

How It Works

I start by diagnosing what's actually wrong, then scope the work and send a proposal. After intake and an assessment, you get a 90 day roadmap broken down by week, risk, priority and owner, and we build it together, hands on. Contracts run 60, 90 or 180 days, or a full year, for one flat fee a month, with no hours counted. Here's more on how fractional HR leadership works.

What the Work Looks Like

Healthcare practice, 7 years in business, 11 people

It started with a handbook that fit their culture and California law, then grew into a pay and classification audit, required safety plans and a pay framework.

Common Questions