California Employers Must Now Give “Know Your Rights” Notice to All Employees

Effective February 1, 2026, all California employers are required to provide employees and new hires with a “stand-alone written notice” of key workplace rights.  This new requirement is the result of SB 294, also known as the “Workplace Know Your Rights Act,” which we previously blogged about here.

This new notice must be given to all new hires and all existing employees by February 1 of every year and must explain workers’ rights related to retaliation, workers’ compensation, protections against unfair immigration-related practices, the right to organize or act together with co-workers, and interactions with law enforcement at the workplace.  The notice must also explain how these workplace protections extend to all California employees without regard to their immigration status.  An employer’s failure to provide this notice can result in a fine of up to $500 per employee.

In addition to the above notice obligations, starting on March 1, 2026, SB 294 also requires all California employers to allow employees to designate an “emergency contact” to be contacted by the employer in the event the employee is arrested or detained at work.

The California Labor Commissioner has created a template notice that employers are free to use in order to satisfy the requirements of SB 294.  You can find that template notice here.