California Senate Bill 294—codified at Labor Code §§ 1550–1559—creates the Workplace Know Your Rights Act, a new annual notice obligation for California employers. Beginning February 1, 2026, employers must provide a stand-alone written notice describing specific workplace and constitutional rights, and must repeat this distribution annually.
The Labor Commissioner is required to publish a template notice (and update it annually). Employers may use the state template or provide their own compliant notice.
Key Compliance Deadlines
February 1, 2026: Deliver the Notice to Current Employees (and Then Annually)
By February 1, 2026, employers must provide the notice to each current employee and then provide it each year thereafter.
New Hires: Provide the Notice “Upon Hire”
Employers must also provide the written notice to new employees upon hire.
Collective Bargaining Representative: Provide Annually
If employees have an exclusive collective bargaining representative, the notice must be provided annually to the employee’s authorized representative (exclusive collective bargaining representative).
What Must the Notice Cover?
The statute requires a description of worker rights in specified categories. At a high level, the notice must address:
- Workers’ compensation rights (including benefits and contact information)
- Right to notice of I-9 inspections by immigration agencies
- Protections against unfair immigration-related practices
- Right to organize a union / engage in concerted activity
- Constitutional rights in the workplace when interacting with law enforcement (including immigration agents), including search/seizure and related protections
- A description of new laws or legal developments affecting workplace rights that the Labor Commissioner determines are material and necessary
- A list of enforcement agencies that may enforce the underlying rights described
When and How to Deliver the Notice
Approved Delivery Methods (If Receipt Is Reasonably Expected Within 1 Business Day)
Employers must provide the notice in the manner they normally use to communicate employment-related information. The statute expressly allows personal service, email, or text message, so long as it can reasonably be anticipated the employee will receive it within one business day.
Practical Tip: Make It “Stand-Alone”
Because the law requires a stand-alone written notice, avoid burying it inside a larger handbook update or multipage onboarding packet without clearly separating it.
Language Requirements
Employers must provide the notice in the language they normally use to communicate employment-related information to the employee and that the employee understands—if the Labor Commissioner has made the template available in that language. If not, the notice may be provided in English.
The Labor Commissioner has posted model notices (including English and Spanish) and indicated additional languages will be posted (including Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi).
Emergency Contact Requirements
The new law also requires employers provide current California employees with the opportunity to name or update emergency contacts and designate whether the emergency contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained by March 30, 2026. Then going forward, employers must collect this information from new employees at the time of hire and must allow employees to update their emergency contact information throughout their employment.
Penalties and Enforcement Risk
An employer who violates the notice requirement may be subject to penalties of up to $500 per employee per violation.
The law also contains separate penalty provisions related to emergency-contact notification obligations (with potentially higher exposure if violations are ongoing).
Next Steps: A Simple Employer Checklist
- Decide whether to use the Labor Commissioner’s template or prepare a compliant custom notice.
- Select a distribution method that fits your workforce and supports “received within one business day” (e.g., HRIS e-delivery + acknowledgment, email, text for non-desk employees).
- Deliver to all current California employees by February 1, 2026.
- Add to onboarding so new hires receive it upon hire.
- Provide annually to any exclusive collective bargaining representative (if applicable).
- Document compliance (who received it, when, and how), and calendar an annual re-send tied to updated templates.
Where to Find the Official Template Notice
The California Labor Commissioner has posted the “California Workplace – Know Your Rights” notice online (English version attached here: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/Know-Your-Rights-Notice/Know-Your-Rights-Notice-English.pdf).