What is the California Workplace Know Your Rights Act?
- The California Workplace Know Your Rights Act (Labor Code § 1550 et. seq.) requires all California employers to provide a stand-alone written notice to each employee to inform them of certain workplace rights and protections that apply to all workers in the state, regardless of immigration status.
- The Workplace Know Your Rights Booklet mirrors the state’s official template notice and includes the full description of workplace rights and protections in the areas specified in the law.
When are employers required to provide the Workplace Know Your Rights Booklet to employees?
The law requires all California employers to provide the Workplace Know Your Rights notice to:
- Current employees on or before February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter
- Each new employee at the time hire
- Each employee’s authorized representative, if any, annually
Manner of delivery and language accessibility
- Employers can comply with the notice requirement by personally delivering the Workplace Know Your Rights Booklet to each employee.
- Employers may use other means of delivery (i.e., email or text message) provided delivery is in a manner the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information and can reasonably be expected to be received by the employee within one day of being sent.
- Physical posting in the workplace or electronic posting on a web-based platform does not comply with the individual employee distribution requirement.
- The notice must be provided in the language the employer normally uses to communicate with the employee, if available. Otherwise, the notice must be provided in English.
What rights and protections are described in the Workplace Know Your Rights Booklet?
The Workplace Know Your Rights Booklet includes a description of workers’:
- Protections against employer retaliation for their exercising legal rights.
- Protections related to immigration status.
- Right to organize a union or act with co-workers to improve working conditions.
- Rights when interacting with law enforcement or immigration agents in the workplace.
- Right to workers’ compensation benefits for job-related illnesses or injuries.
- State and Federal government agencies to contact if a worker believes their rights have been violated.
