How Wiser Workplace Works
A structured intake and a documented confidential communication channel between California employees and the employers they identify.
Before You Start
Wiser Workplace is built for employees who want to raise a workplace concern with their employer through a structured channel that creates a written record, and for employers who want to receive those concerns and respond on a documented timeline. Common subject matter includes wage and hour questions, discrimination and harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and leave or accommodation disputes. Use of the platform is voluntary and either party can stop participating at any time. Nothing on this site is legal advice; if you have a claim with a statute of limitations, filing deadline, or right-to-sue requirement, consult a licensed attorney promptly. Use of the platform does not toll or extend any deadline.
The Four Steps
Employee Intake
The employee describes the workplace concern in a confidential online form. Intake covers what happened, when, who was involved, and the outcome the employee is hoping for. Intake is free for employees and submission alone does not commit the employee to anything further.
Employer Notification and Response
The platform notifies the employer the employee identified and opens the case. The employer reviews the concern and provides a substantive response through the platform. If the employer declines or does not respond, the case closes unresolved and the employee keeps every option available outside the platform.
Documented Communication
The employee and the employer exchange messages and documents through the platform's confidential channel while the case is open. The platform captures the timeline. Wiser Workplace does not advocate for either party, does not provide legal advice, and does not decide the matter.
Resolution or Exit Note
If the parties reach an agreement, they close the case as resolved and may memorialize terms in a written agreement they sign outside the platform. If they do not, the case closes unresolved. The exit note points the employee to the EEOC, the California Civil Rights Department, and the Labor Commissioner, and reminds the employee of the right to consult an attorney of their own choosing, so the employee can decide whether to pursue other paths.
Confidentiality
Communications submitted through the platform are contractually confidential between the employee, Wiser Workplace, and the employer the employee identified, under Section 7 of our Terms of Service. Each party agrees not to reference or use Platform Communications in any later proceeding, subject to the narrow exceptions in Section 7.4 (consulting your own attorney, responding to lawful legal process, and filing with or testifying before government agencies). At launch, when both parties choose to engage a mediator from the platform's curated slate, the mediator-engaged session is additionally protected under California's mediation confidentiality framework.
What This Service Is Not
- It is not litigation. Wiser Workplace does not decide the matter, does not award damages, and does not issue any binding ruling.
- It is not legal advice. Wiser Workplace personnel are not your attorney, cannot tell you what your claim is worth, and cannot tell you whether to accept any proposal an employer makes.
- Mediation engagement is bilateral and voluntary. At launch, the platform offers a curated slate of independent California neutrals. A mediator is engaged only when both parties select from the slate. Wiser Workplace does not assign or supply mediators unilaterally, and mediators on the slate serve only as third-party neutrals under California Rules of Professional Conduct rule 2.4, not as attorneys for any party.
- It does not toll or extend statutes of limitations. If you have a deadline to file with the EEOC, CRD, Labor Commissioner, or a court, that deadline keeps running while you use the platform.
- It is not a substitute for consulting a licensed attorney about your rights, deadlines, and options.
Outcomes and Costs
Outcomes vary. Parties who reach agreement typically memorialize terms in a written settlement that may include payment, policy changes, references, or other non-monetary terms; that settlement is signed outside the platform. If no agreement is reached, either party may pursue any legal option otherwise available. Wiser Workplace does not guarantee any particular outcome and past outcomes do not predict future ones.
Employees use the platform at no cost. Wiser Workplace charges for administering a neutral, bilateral process, not for the mediation itself: employers pay a subscription for access and a flat fee to run each mediation. When a matter is mediated, the mediator is an independent neutral, engaged and paid separately by the parties, and Wiser Workplace never takes a share of the mediator's fee. See the For Employers page for current plans, and the ROI Calculator for the cost methodology.
Your Rights and Protections
- You can stop using the platform at any point before signing a written agreement with the employer.
- You can be represented by an attorney at every stage. Wiser Workplace encourages it for any matter involving protected characteristics, retaliation, or a release of claims.
- You retain every right to file a complaint with a government agency (including the EEOC, the California Civil Rights Department, the Labor Commissioner, and Cal/OSHA) and to testify before any agency or court. Section 7.4 of the Terms of Service expressly preserves these rights.
- You control what information you share. Sensitive personal information such as Social Security numbers or financial account data should not be entered into the platform.
Ready to Start?
If you are an employee with a workplace concern, the intake form is free and takes about ten minutes. If you are an employer who wants to receive concerns through the platform on a documented response timeline, the employer onboarding flow walks you through setup.
Start Employee Intake Employer Onboarding