What Happened?

As a reminder for California employers, the Labor Commissioner has released a 2026 Workplace “Know Your Rights” template notice to support SB 294 compliance. The template is available now (English and Spanish, with more languages coming) and will be updated annually.

Overview

On October 12, 2025, California enacted SB 294 (Workplace Know Your Rights Act) to ensure employees understand labor, immigration‑related, and constitutional rights.

• Enforcement begins in 2026 with new annual notice, emergency‑contact, and anti‑retaliation requirements.

• Key dates:

• Feb 1, 2026 (deadline for distributing notices).
  • Mar 30, 2026 (emergency‑contact option).
  • Jul 1, 2026 (DIR educational videos).

Why this matters: Missing deadlines, using the wrong language, or failing to notify emergency contacts can trigger penalties up to $500 per employee per violation, and $500 per employee per day (max $10,000) for emergency‑contact violations.

Key Risks for Employers

• Missing the Feb 1, 2026, deadline to provide the stand‑alone notice to all current employees.

• Forgetting to provide this notice also to new hires at onboarding and annually thereafter.

• Using an outdated template and failing to check for the DIR’s annual updates.

• Language non‑compliance (not providing the notice in a language employees understand when DIR has that version).

• Improper delivery (methods must reliably reach employees within one business day—personal service, email, or text).

• No proof of compliance (not keeping three years of records showing when and how notices were provided).

• Missing the Mar 30, 2026, emergency‑contact requirement or failing to notify the designated contact when arrests/detentions occur.

• For unionized workforces: not sending the notice annually to the exclusive bargaining representative, or assuming a CBA waiver without explicit language

For additional details:

• Know Your Rights – ENG
• Know Your Rights – SPA
• California Workplace Know Your Rights Act Effective January 1, 2026

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