As of February 1, 2026, California employers must provide an annual written notice to all employees explaining rights regarding workers’ comp, union organizing, and interactions with law enforcement. This mandate, established by SB 294 (the Workplace Know Your Rights Act), is a significant shift from passive workplace posters to active, individualized disclosure. The onus is on HR departments as compliance now requires a documented, annual distribution strategy.
What is the California Workplace Know Your Rights Act (SB 294)?
The Workplace Know Your Rights Act is designed to ensure that every Californian worker, regardless of immigration status, understand the legal protections afforded to them under state and federal law. While California has long required ‘Labor Law Posters’ in breakrooms, SB 294 demands a ‘standalone’ written notice delivered directly to the employee.
It may prove to be a rigorous requirement for all employers, irrespective of headcount. By providing this information, the state aims to mitigate the “disruption, dislocation, and fear” that often accompany workplace legal disputes or law enforcement interactions.
What are the core requirements of the annual notice?
The Labor Commissioner has provided a helpful template. However, the burden of delivery rests on the shoulders of employers. The notice you provide to your employees must cover:
Workers Compensation: This must include a detailed rights to medical care and disability pay for work-related injuries.
Union Organizing: The rights to engage in protected concerted activities or collective bargaining.
Law Enforcement Interactions: Specific Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights when interacting with authorities at the worksite.
Immigration Protections: Rights regarding I-9 inspections and protections against unfair immigration-related retaliatory practices.
Why does California Workplace Know Your Rights matter for HR professionals?
Now, this might seem like yet another administrative hurdle. However, the authority of the Labor Commissioner is backed by significant teeth. Failure to provide the Know Your Rights notice can result in penalties of up to $500 per employee.
Furthermore, the law introduces a second deadline. By March 30, 2026, employers must allow employees to designate an emergency contract for situations involving arrest or detention.
If an employee is detained at work and HR fails to notify the emergency contact, the fines skyrocket to $10,000 per employee.
How should employers distribute the ‘Know Your Rights’ notice?
To meet California’s Workplace Know Your Rights requirements, the notice must be provided in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information. If the Labor Commissioner has provided a template in that language, (currently in English, Spanish, and several others), you must use it or a compliant alternative.
What are the methods of delivery?
There are several ways to deliver the California Workplace Know Your Rights notice. You may hand-deliver the document during a meeting or shift state. You can also send an email to the employee’s business or personal email address. A test message is permissible only if the employee receives work information via text and is likely to see it within one business day.
As an HR professional, you must keep a digital paper trail or a signed acknowledgment to prove the notice was received within 24 hours of being sent.
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