California employers face new compliance obligations in 2026 that will affect businesses of all sizes. While these requirements technically became law on January 1, 2025, following the passage of California Senate Bill 294, employers have until the deadlines outlined below to ensure full compliance.
Workplace Rights Notice Requirements
Starting February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, California employers must provide each employee with a standalone written notice detailing specific workplace rights. The California Labor Commissioner has developed template notices titled “California Workplace – Know Your Rights,” which were made available in English and Spanish on the Labor Commissioner’s website as of January 7, 2026, and can be found here: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/RequiredPosters.html. According to the DIR website, additional languages will be coming soon.
The required notice to employees must cover:
- Workers’ compensation rights
- Immigration-related rights and notices
- Labor organizing rights
- Constitutional rights in the workplace
Going forward, the Labor Commissioner may add new legal developments to the required notice content as they determine appropriate – so please stay tuned for updates on these notices, as they become available, because it will be incumbent on the employer to provide the most up-to-date notices, as they become available.
For employees hired after February 1, 2026, the notice must be provided at the time of hire.
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Language and Distribution Requirements
Employers must provide the notice in the language the employee understands—but only if the Labor Commissioner has made a template available in that language on its website. If no template exists in the employee’s language, employers may provide the English version.
The notice can be distributed through whatever method the employer typically uses for employment-related communications, whether that’s personal delivery, email, or text message—as long as the method can reasonably be expected to reach the employee within one business day.
Recordkeeping and Documentation Requirements
Employers must maintain records demonstrating compliance with this notice requirement for at least three years. These records should include the date each notice was provided to each employee. Failure to keep records of delivery of these notices creates civil liability for the business, underscoring the importance of keeping these records as part of your regular business practices.
Emergency Contact Requirements
By March 30, 2026, California employers must give all employees the opportunity to designate an emergency contact. Critically, employees must also be allowed to indicate whether that designated contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained while at work. Employees retain the right to update this information at any time.
If an employee who has designated an emergency contact for arrest/detention notification is actually arrested or detained in the workplace, the employer must notify that emergency contact (assuming the employee indicated they wanted notification). For arrests or detentions that occur outside the workplace but during work hours or while performing work duties, the employer is only obligated to notify the emergency contact if the employer has actual knowledge of the arrest or detention.
Compliance Action Items
In the coming weeks, all California employers should take the following steps to ensure compliance with the new legal requirements of the “Know Your Rights” Law:
By February 1, 2026:
- Provide the workplace rights notice to all current employees using an appropriate distribution method
- Update new hire paperwork to include the workplace rights notice
- Establish a system for tracking notice distribution dates
By March 30, 2026:
- Implement a process allowing employees to designate emergency contacts and indicate notification preferences for arrests/detentions
- Ensure this information can be easily updated by employees as needed
Ongoing:
- Maintain three-year records documenting notice distribution dates for each employee
- Provide the workplace rights notice annually to all employees
- Include the notice in all new hire packets
- Monitor the Labor Commissioner’s website for template updates and additional language versions
California employers should act now to develop compliant systems and processes for meeting these new requirements before the upcoming deadlines.
This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every employment situation is unique, and the application of these requirements may vary based on your specific circumstances. For guidance on how these new California notice and emergency contact requirements apply to your business, please consult with a qualified employment law attorney.
For more information on the status of the DIR California Know Your Rights Update, and other pressing employment and business matters, please visit our website at https://www.koeglelaw.com/blogs/ or reach out to our office for more information.
