California’s March 30th Emergency Contact Deadline and What Employers Must Do ASAP

If an employee has not designated an emergency contact, employers are not required to provide notice. However, employers must give both current and future employees the opportunity to make such designations and to update their emergency contact information throughout their employment as needed.

Penalties
There are potential penalties for an employer’s failure to comply with these emergency contact requirements. California Labor Code § 1558(d)(2) authorizes a $500 penalty “per employee for each day the violation occurs, up to a maximum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per employee.”

In other words, an employer’s failure to notify employees of the opportunity to provide emergency contact information—or failure to notify the emergency contact when required—may lead to penalties recoverable by employees or the California Labor Commissioner’s Office.

Key Operational and Compliance Considerations
California employers that missed the March 30, 2026, deadline should promptly:

• Notify all California employees in writing of their right to identify an emergency contact.
• Update existing emergency contact forms or create a separate stand-alone form (these forms should make it clear which circumstances will trigger notification of the emergency contact).
• Document which employees are opting in or declining to identify an emergency contact.
• Inform employees that they can adjust their designation during their employment.
• Review onboarding procedures to ensure that such notification and disclosure requirements extend to new hires.
• Train Human Resources and supervisory personnel on the timing and methods for notification.

Other Deadlines Under California’s Workplace Know Your Rights Act
California employers should be mindful that the broader Workplace Know Your Rights Act includes other key deadlines. For example, employers were required to provide employees with notice of their workplace rights by February 1, 2026, and must continue to provide written notice every year.  

Among other things, the annual employee notice must include information about:

• workers’ compensation; 
• notification rights with respect to inspections by immigration agencies;
• protections against unfair immigration-related practices; 
• labor organizing rights; and
• constitutional rights when interacting with law enforcement in the workplace. 

The Labor Commissioner has developed notice templates in multiple languages that comply with the law and can be used by employers. We recommend posting the notice and distributing it through other means as necessary to ensure all employees have access to the information.

Pillsbury will continue to monitor these developments and provide timely insights into how Senate Bill 294 may affect your business. For questions about compliance strategies or to discuss the law’s potential impact, please reach out to your Pillsbury contact or any member of our Restaurant, Food & Beverage Industry Group or Employment Practice Group.