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WHAT'S NEW IN 2026 PERSONNEL RECORDS ACCESS

UnderLabor Code 1198.5, former and current employees have had the right once a year to inspect and receive copies of their personnel records relating to performance and grievances.

WHAT'S NEW IN 2026 NO PAY TO STRAY

Starting January 1, 2026, California'sAssembly Bill (AB) 692prohibits employers from requiring that employees pay money back simply because they quit or are fired. The law strengthens the state's long-standing rule that protects employees' right to change jobs freely.

ELECTION DAY RIGHTS

A California employee unable to vote in a statewide election outside of work hours isentitled to voting time offat either the beginning or end of shift. Upon receiving a voting receipt from the employee, the company must pay for up to two hours of that voting time.

WHAT'S NEW IN 2026 SIGN OF THE TIMES

Beginning February 1, 2026, all California employers must provide each worker an annual, stand-alone notice summarizing key labor protections and constitutional rights. While commercially available "poster sets" of various workplace laws have been common, theseincoming Labor Code sectionsaim to standardize and, in the face of growing Homeland Security aggression, expand the scope of such notices.

AVOID A SCARE

A well-planned Halloween celebration can boost morale and build teamwork. Without clear boundaries though, it can lead to uncomfortable or even risky situations under California's strict workplace laws. Here's how to keep it festive and compliant.

PREVENTION DETECTION

California is among the nation's leaders in the rangeof characteristics protected from workplace discrimination and harassment,including ● race, ● color, ● ancestry, ● national origin, ● religious creed and practice, ● age (40 and over), ● mental and physical disabilities, ● sex, ● gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), ● gender orientation, ● gender identity, ● gender expression, ● medical condition, ● genetic information, ● reproductive health de

NO LESS THAN

With two exceptions (New Zealand, 1894; Australia, 1896), no country had a minimum wage law until the 20th Century. Instead, employers paid supposed "just (or fair) wages" on the purported mutual consent of their workers.

CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 104 GRAVITY IS REAL

There are no shortcuts to workplace safety laws.

CAUTIONARY TALE EPISODE 103 OUT OF THE FRYING PAN

The Labor Commissioner's Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) has cited a Koreatown barbeque restaurant $680,000 for widespread wage theft violations.