The Washington labor law guide

13 additional laws may apply. Open one to read the rule.

• Washington Uniform LawEmployers may require that employees purchase and wear clothing of particular style and color, so long as it is also acceptable…Washington Uniform Law

  Employers may require that employees purchase and wear clothing of particular style and color, so long as it is also acceptable street wear (e.g. black pants, white polo shirt). They may under no circumstances take a payroll deduction for the cost.

  Employers must bear the full cost if the required clothing would be considered a “uniform,” which is defined as: Clothing identifying a person as an employee of a specific employer; or Apparel specially marked with the employer’s logo; or Unique apparel to identify historical or ethnic background; or Formal attire.

• Washington Pay PracticesEmployers in Washington must pay their employees at least monthly on regular paydays the employer chooses in advance. If the pay…Washington Pay Practices

  Employers in Washington must pay their employees at least monthly on regular paydays the employer chooses in advance. If the pay period is more frequent than monthly, the payday must be within 10 calendar days of the end of the pay period. If the pay period is monthly, wages earned in the last seven days of the month may be paid in the following pay period.

• Washington Lactation AccommodationsEmployers with 15 or more employees must provide lactating employees with reasonable breaks to express milk for up to two years…Washington Lactation Accommodations

  Employers with 15 or more employees must provide lactating employees with reasonable breaks to express milk for up to two years after the birth of their child. Employers must also provide a private space (other than a bathroom) if they have one. If they don’t have a private space, the employer is required to identify a convenient location and work schedule to accommodate the employee’s need to express milk.

• Washington Background check

  Employers who run background checks should ensure they’re following the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

• Washington Credit and Investigative Check lawsEmployers may only obtain a credit report on an applicant or employee if credit information is substantially related to their job…Washington Credit and Investigative Check laws

  Employers may only obtain a credit report on an applicant or employee if credit information is substantially related to their job responsibilities or it is required by law. The employer must tell the applicant or employee that they will obtain a credit report for employment purposes.

• Washington Arrest and Conviction Check lawsInquiries concerning arrests must ask whether charges are still pending, have been dismissed, or led to conviction of a crime…Washington Arrest and Conviction Check laws

  Inquiries concerning arrests must ask whether charges are still pending, have been dismissed, or led to conviction of a crime involving behavior that would adversely affect job performance, as well as if the arrest occurred within the last ten years.

  Inquiries concerning convictions (or imprisonment) are only considered justified by business necessity if the crimes inquired about relate reasonably to the job duties, and if such convictions (or release from prison) occurred within the last ten years.

  Law enforcement agencies, state agencies, school districts, businesses and other organizations that have a direct responsibility for the supervision, care, or treatment of children, mentally ill persons, developmentally disabled persons, or other vulnerable adults are exempt from these rules.

  The City of Seattle has a “Ban the Box” ordinance that prohibits employers from using job postings or ads that categorically exclude individuals with criminal histories, limits inquiries into an applicant’s criminal history until after initial screening, requires a legitimate business reason for denying a job based on a conviction record, and requires that applicants be given an opportunity to explain any record.

• Washington Whistleblower Protection lawsEmployers may not discharge or discriminate against an employee for doing any of the following:Washington Whistleblower Protection laws

  Employers may not discharge or discriminate against an employee for doing any of the following:

  Exercising their rights regarding workplace safety, such as reporting an unsafe working condition

  Reporting in good faith a concern regarding quality of patient care to the Department of Health

• Washington COBRACOBRA is a federal law that allows many employees to continue their health insurance benefits after their employment ends. Because…Washington COBRA

  COBRA is a federal law that allows many employees to continue their health insurance benefits after their employment ends. Because federal COBRA only applies to employers that have 20 or more employees, many states have adopted their own versions of the law, which are known as “mini-COBRAs.” Washington has a limited mini-COBRA, which allows employers to decide whether they want to offer continued coverage as part of their policy.

• Washington Secure Scheduling LawsThe City of Seattle has a secure scheduling ordinance that requires employers to post work schedules at least 14 days in advance…Washington Secure Scheduling Laws

  The City of Seattle has a secure scheduling ordinance that requires employers to post work schedules at least 14 days in advance, compensate employees for certain scheduling circumstances, and follow other guidelines around employee schedules.

• Washington Salary History LawUnder the Washington Equal Pay Act, employers may not inquire about the wage or salary history of an applicant from the applicant…Washington Salary History Law

  Under the Washington Equal Pay Act, employers may not inquire about the wage or salary history of an applicant from the applicant or a current or former employer unless the applicant volunteers the information, or after the employer has made a fully negotiated offer that includes compensation. Employers also may not require that an applicant’s prior wage or salary history meet certain criteria, regardless of when or how they acquire the information.

• Washington Telephone Monitoring LawWashington is an “all parties” consent state, meaning every person on a phone call must be aware that they are being monitored or…Washington Telephone Monitoring Law

  Washington is an “all parties” consent state, meaning every person on a phone call must be aware that they are being monitored or recorded and have consented by placing or continuing the phone call. This means employers may monitor or record phone calls between their own employees only if each employee has been given notice that phone calls may be monitored or recorded. However, phone calls placed by employees to outside parties may not be monitored or recorded unless the outside party has also consented.

• Washington Social Media LawWashington employers may not: Request, require, or otherwise coerce an employee or applicant to disclose login information for the…Washington Social Media Law

  Washington employers may not: Request, require, or otherwise coerce an employee or applicant to disclose login information for the employee’s or applicant’s personal social networking account; Take adverse action against an employee or applicant because the employee or applicant refuses to disclose his or her login information, access their personal social networking account in the employer’s presence, add a person to the list of contacts associated with his or her personal social networking account, or alter the settings on their personal social networking account that affect a third party’s ability to view the contents of the account; Request, require, or otherwise coerce an employee or applicant to access their personal social networking account in the employer’s presence in a manner that enables the employer to observe the contents of the account; Compel or coerce an employee or applicant to add a person, including the employer, to the list of contacts associated with the employee’s or applicant’s personal social networking account; Request, require, or cause an employee or applicant to alter the settings on their personal social networking account that affect a third party’s ability to view the contents of the account

  If the following conditions are met, the rules listed above to do not apply to an employer’s request that an employee share content from their personal accounts: The employer requests or requires the content to make a factual determination in the course of conducting an investigation; The employer undertakes the investigation in response to receipt of information about the employee’s activity on their personal social networking account; The purpose of the investigation is to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or prohibitions against work-related employee misconduct; or to investigate an allegation of unauthorized transfer of an employer’s proprietary information, confidential information, or financial data to the employee’s personal social networking account; The employer does not request or require the employee to provide his or her login information.

• Compliance CalendarGet our Compliance Calendar to stay on top of deadlines throughout the year: View it on your computer. Click + Google Calendar in…Compliance Calendar

  Get our Compliance Calendar to stay on top of deadlines throughout the year: View it on your computer. Click + Google Calendar in the lower right to add it to your Google Calendar and subscribe to all updates. You can also download a calendar (.ics) file that you can import into iCal or Outlook, or download a PDF to your computer.