California workers gained a new way to learn about important workplace protections in 2026. The Workplace Know Your Rights Act requires employers to give employees a written notice that explains several key rights.
The law is also known as SB 294. It took effect on January 1, 2026.
The notice covers topics such as workers’ compensation, retaliation, immigration-related protections, union activity, law enforcement interactions, and emergency contacts.
This notice is different from the posters that many California employers already display at work. Employers must provide the new notice directly to employees.
That difference matters. A poster on a breakroom wall can be easy to overlook. A direct notice gives workers a document they can save and review later.
California employees should know when they should receive the notice and what information it should contain.
What the 2026 Workplace Rights Notice Must Cover
California employers must provide the Workplace Know Your Rights notice every year.
For 2026, employers had to provide the notice to current employees by February 1. Employers must also give the notice to new employees when they begin work.
The Labor Commissioner provides a model notice that employers can use. The state plans to update that notice each year.
The goal is simple. Workers should receive clear information about important rights before a serious workplace problem develops.
Employees can also visit our California Workplace Rights section for guides about wages, safety, leave, retaliation, and other employment issues.
Workers’ Compensation, Retaliation, and Immigration Protections
The notice must explain workers’ compensation rights.
Workers’ compensation may provide medical care and other benefits when an employee suffers a work-related injury or illness. The notice must also provide information about the California Division of Workers’ Compensation.
This information can help workers understand where to start after a job-related injury.
The notice also explains protections against retaliation.
Workers may raise concerns about pay, hours, safety, or other workplace rights. They may also file certain complaints or help with an investigation.
An employer cannot lawfully punish a worker simply because the worker uses a protected workplace right.
However, each situation depends on the facts and the law involved. Employees should keep records when they believe an employer has taken action against them after a protected complaint.
The notice also covers certain immigration-related protections.
California labor protections generally apply regardless of a worker’s immigration status. The notice explains protections against unfair immigration-related practices when a worker exercises protected rights.
It also includes information about an employee’s right to receive notice when certain immigration agencies plan an inspection of employment records.
Employers Must Deliver the Notice Every Year
The Workplace Know Your Rights notice is not a one-time document.
Employers must provide it annually. They must also give it to each new employee when that person starts work.
An employer can use a normal method of workplace communication. For example, the employer may provide the notice in person, by email, or by text when the method meets the law’s requirements.
Employees should save the notice when they receive it.
A worker may not need it immediately. However, it may become useful later if a question arises about an injury, retaliation, immigration-related action, organizing activity, or another workplace issue.
The Notice Should Be in a Language Workers Understand
California also addresses language access.
An employer must provide the notice in the language it normally uses to communicate employment information to the worker when the employee understands that language and the Labor Commissioner provides a template in that language.
The state currently provides the notice in several languages.
These include English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, and Urdu.
This requirement makes the notice more useful for California’s diverse workforce.
A workplace rights notice has little value if an employee cannot understand it.
Organizing, Law Enforcement, and Emergency Contact Rights
The notice also explains rights related to organizing with coworkers.
Workers may have the right to join or organize a union. They may also act together with coworkers to discuss or address workplace concerns.
Those concerns can include pay, hours, health, safety, and other working conditions.
The law also requires the notice to explain certain constitutional rights during law enforcement interactions at work.
These topics can become complicated. The exact rights and duties may depend on who is conducting the enforcement action and what authority that agency has.
For that reason, workers should use the notice as a starting point. They should check official guidance when a real situation develops.
The California Labor Commissioner also created worker and employer videos about the law. These resources help explain the new requirements in plain language.
Emergency Contact Rules Started in 2026
The law created another important requirement involving emergency contacts.
Employers had to give existing employees an opportunity to name an emergency contact by March 30, 2026.
New workers hired after that date must receive the same opportunity when they start work.
Employees can also update their emergency contact information during employment.
The worker can choose whether the employer should notify that person if the worker gets arrested or detained at the worksite.
The rule can also apply when an arrest or detention happens during work hours or while the employee performs job duties away from the worksite. In that situation, the employer must have actual knowledge of what happened before the notification rule applies.
Workers should make sure their emergency contact information stays current.
An outdated phone number or contact name may make the protection less useful during an emergency.
What California Workers Should Do With the Notice
Workers do not need to become employment law experts. However, they should read the notice and keep a copy.
Start by checking whether you received the current notice.
If you recently started a job, review the documents your employer gave you during onboarding. The Workplace Know Your Rights notice may appear with other employment forms.
If you have worked for the same employer throughout 2026, check your email, employee portal, text messages, or paper workplace records.
The notice should not replace other required workplace postings. California employers still have separate posting duties.
Instead, the annual notice adds another way for employees to learn about their rights.
How to Keep and Use the Notice
Save a digital copy of the notice in a personal folder.
Do not rely only on a work email account. You may lose access to that account after leaving a job.
You can also save related workplace records when a problem develops.
These records may include pay stubs, schedules, written warnings, safety reports, injury records, emails, text messages, leave requests, and other documents that relate to the issue.
Keep the records organized by date.
A simple timeline can help you remember what happened. Write down the date, people involved, and what each person said or did.
If you report a workplace problem, keep a copy of the report when possible.
For example, save an email about unpaid wages or a written report about unsafe working conditions.
Good records do not guarantee a particular result. However, they can make it easier to explain the facts later.
Keep Records if the Notice Is Missing
If you believe your employer did not provide the required notice, first check your normal workplace communication channels.
Look at email, text messages, employee portals, and paper documents.
If you still cannot find it, you can ask the employer or human resources department for a copy.
Keep your request simple and professional.
You may also compare the document you receive with the official notice from the California Labor Commissioner.
For current state information and downloadable versions, visit the California Department of Industrial Relations Workplace Postings and Notices page.
The state updates its model notice as needed. Therefore, workers should use the current version instead of relying on an old copy found elsewhere online.
If a workplace dispute becomes serious, general information may not be enough.
Strict deadlines can apply to wage claims, retaliation complaints, workers’ compensation matters, and other employment disputes.
A qualified professional can review the specific facts and explain the options that may apply.
You can also visit our Access to Justice section for information about government agencies, records, deadlines, and ways to prepare before asking for professional help.
The Workplace Know Your Rights Act gives California workers a useful source of information. It does not replace every workplace law or every required notice.
Instead, it brings several important protections into one document that workers receive directly.
Read the notice. Save it. Keep your emergency contact current. Preserve records when a problem develops.
Those simple steps can make it easier to understand your rights and decide what to do next.
For more practical California employment guides, browse the Cali Advocate resource library.
