This article was originally printed in the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of the California Veterinarian magazine.

January 1, 2026, marked the implementation of California Senate Bill 294, also known as the “Workplace Know Your Rights Act.” The law was passed to help educate employees about their labor and civil rights under state and federal law. All California employers, including veterinary practices, are required to comply with this law by specified deadlines.

By February 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, all California employers must provide a stand-alone written notice to all current and new employees informing them of certain rights—specifically:

1. Rights to workers’ compensation benefits, including disability pay and medical care for work-related injuries or illness, as well as the contact information for the Division of Workers’ Compensation.
2. The right to notice of immigration agency inspections against a person exercising protected rights.
3. Protection from unfair immigration-related practices.
4. The right to organize or join a union and engage in concerted activities.
5. Constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement at the workplace, including an employee’s right under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and rights under the Fifth Amendment to due process and against self-incrimination.

SB 294 requires the California Labor Commissioner to create a template notice to assist employers with compliance. This template should be available as of January 1, 2026, on the Department of Industrial Relations website.

The stand-alone written notice must be provided in the language normally used to communicate with the employee and which the employee understands, provided that the template notice is available in that language on the Labor Commissioner’s website. If the template notice is not available in that language, then the written notice may be provided in English.

An employer may, in addition to the required written notice, choose to provide a link to, or show, the video developed by the Labor Commissioner’s office pursuant to subdivision (b) of California Labor Code section 1554.

Employers are required to keep records of compliance with the Know Your Rights notice provision for three years, including the date that each written notice is provided or sent to a worker.

In addition to providing the stand-alone written notice, employers are also required under SB 294 to provide employees with the opportunity to name an emergency contact. This mandate must be implemented no later than March 30, 2026, for existing employees, and at the time of hiring for all new employees hired after March 30, 2026.

Employers must also allow employees to provide updated emergency contact information through the duration of employment. The employer shall allow the employee to 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.

As with nearly all California employment laws, SB 294 also prohibits an employer from discharging, threatening to discharge, demoting, suspending, or in any manner discriminating or retaliating against an employee for exercising or attempting to exercise their rights under the Act, filing a complaint with the Labor Commissioner alleging a violation by the employer, cooperating in an investigation or prosecution of an alleged violation, or for any action taken by an employee to invoke, or assist in any manner in, the enforcement of the relevant rights conferred.

The CVMA offers printed Know Your Rights pamphlets either for purchase separately or as part of the general Time of Hire pamphlets that employers are required to provide to all new employees. If a veterinary practice has never provided Time of Hire pamphlets to employees, it is recommended that the pamphlets be distributed as soon as possible.

The CVMA has updated its New Hire Packets to include the new mandatory “Know Your Rights” pamphlet. Don’t incur a heavy fine for not providing this notice. Order your New Hire Packets today!

This article is for informational and general educational purposes only and is not intended to replace legal advice or be considered a legal interpretation. Although significant effort has been made to ensure accuracy and completeness at the time of publication, the CVMA shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions, or any agency’s interpretation, application, or enforcement of the information presented herein.