As you know, Senate Bill 294, known as the “Workplace Know Your Rights Act,” expands employee notice requirements for California employers. The Act requires employers to provide a stand‑alone written notice outlining certain workplace rights to new hires at the time of employment and to all current employees on an annual basis.
On or before February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, employers must provide a written notice to each current employee of specified workers’ rights, as well as constitutional rights of an employee when interacting with law enforcement at the workplace. The Act also requires the employer to provide the written notice to each new employee upon hire and to provide the written notice annually to an employee’s authorized representative, if any.
To support compliance, the Labor Commissioner has issued a model Workplace Know Your Rights notice that employers may use. Employers must ensure they are using the most current version and provide the notice in a language normally used for business communications that employees understand. At present, the template is available in English and Spanish, with additional languages anticipated.
The Act also introduces new requirements related to employee arrests or detentions. Employers must notify an employee’s designated emergency contact if the employee is arrested or detained at the worksite, or offsite during work hours when the employer has actual knowledge. To facilitate this obligation, employers must provide an employee the opportunity to name an emergency contact no later than March 30, 2026, for an existing employee, and at the time of hiring for a new employee hired after March 30, 2026.