California Employers: SB 294 Requires Immediate Action

California has issued a new requirement under “Workplace Know Your Rights Act” (Senate Bill 294). This law now requires employers to provide a written annual notice to all employees regarding their workplace rights.  

Here’s What You’ll Learn 

California SB 294 Requirements 

Employers in the state of California must send this notice to employees to address workers’ compensation, protections against unfair immigration practices, and other rights. 

The notice must be sent to the following groups by February 1, 2026:   

• All current employees in California; 
• All new employees, upon hire after February 1, 2026;   
• An employees’ exclusive collective bargaining representative (annually) 

This notification will be an annual requirement moving forward.  

It is important that employers retain a copy of this communication for three years including when it was distributed, to whom it was distributed, and how it was distributed to show they are compliant with the requirements. 

What Must the Notice Include 

The new annual notice to employees includes seven categories covering:  

1. The right to notice of an I-9 inspection by immigration agencies;  
2. Protection against unfair immigration-related practices;  
3. Constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement in the workplace;  
4. Labor organizing rights;  
5. Workers’ compensation benefits which includes disability pay and medical care for work related injuries. 
6. A description of new laws affecting workplace rights as determined by the Labor Commissioner; and  
7. A list of the enforcement agencies involved with the underlying rights in the notice.  

How Should the Notice be Communicated 

This notice must be provided in a language normally used with employees when discussing business and should be provided “via regular communication methods”. The notice is to be sent via: 

• Email 
• Text 
• Hand delivery  

IMPORTANT: Posting the notice on bulletin boards or on the company’s intranet will not fulfill the requirement unless those are the company’s normal form of mass communication. 

Please know, this notice is in addition to the current labor law posters you have within your breakrooms and/or areas where employees congregate. 

Access the Notice and Other Information 

The State of California Labor Commissioner provides templates that can be used to meet the requirements of the law. Currently the notice is available in English and Spanish, and soon will be available in additional languages. 

For future reference, and for annual updates from the State of California Department of Industrial Relations, please note the following webpage:  

• Required State of California Posters and Notices 

You can download the versions above to send to all your California employees no later than February 1st.  

Under SB 294 employers are required to give your employees an opportunity to name an emergency contact by March 30, 2026. Any employee hired after this date must be given the opportunity to name an emergency contact at the time of hire. Employees should indicate whether or not the contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained during working hours.  

What SB 294 Means for Your Organization 

OutSolve offers services to help California employers with their annual pay data reports, pay transparency law consulting, employment law requirements, and more. Reach out to our consultants today with any questions you may have regarding this new law or any other in California.