SB 294, the “Workplace Know Your Rights Act,” is now in effect and comes with real operational deadlines for HR. The first deadline was February 1, 2026, when employers were required to deliver the standalone “Know Your Rights” notice to all current employees (and continue delivering it annually), and to provide it to new hires at onboarding. If you missed the deadline, issue it now.
As Ron Popeil famously said in many infomercials, “But wait! There’s more!” The next SB 294 deadline that requires immediate action is the emergency contact requirement. Employers must give existing employees the opportunity to designate an emergency contact by March 30, 2026, and must incorporate this step into every onboarding process for all new hires after that date.
Here is the key point for current-employee compliance and your new-hire packet moving forward: the emergency contact designation is now a mandatory legal requirement. It is no longer an optional “nice to have.” Labor Code section 1555(b) requires that an employer provide current employees the opportunity to designate an emergency contact and allow them to update this information during their employment. It also states that new hires, “at the time of hiring,” must be given this same option.
So, when you create or update your emergency contact form, be sure you are giving your current and newly hired employees “the opportunity to name an emergency contact … [and] indicate whether the emergency contact should be notified if the employee is arrested or detained on their worksite, or during work hours or during the performance of the employee’s job duties, but not on the worksite, if the employer has actual knowledge of the arrest or detention of the employee.” Said differently, be sure to put that specific language, or a substantively similar version of that language, on your form.
Noncompliance is not a slap-on-the-wrist issue. Under Labor Code section 1558(d)(2), a violation of section 1555 “shall” trigger penalties of up to $500 per employee per day, capped at $10,000 per employee.
In summary: update or create your emergency contact form now to include the new designation language, revise your onboarding process, and document your standard operating procedures for implementing the new or revised form for current employees and new hires. Taking these steps now will give you peace of mind, knowing you have a clear, auditable process in place before the March 30, 2026, deadline.
For questions regarding SB 294 compliance or any other employment law matter, contact the attorneys at EmployLaw Group LLP (805) 586-1381.