On July 1, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) published a “Survivors of Violence and Family Members of Victims Right to Leave and Accommodations” notice. The CRD also published FAQ regarding the notice requirements. Both documents are available on the CRD website. Employers must provide the notice to workers when hired, annually, and upon request.
Assembly Bill (AB) 2499, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September 2024, expressly required the CRD to publish such a notice by July 1, 2025.
The notice and guidance explain that California law allows employees to take time off for certain reasons relating to their or their family members’ experience with qualifying acts of violence, as California law defines them. These reasons include taking time off to attend administrative and court proceedings or to care for a family member recovering from injuries caused by violence.
Employers have similar responsibilities in addressing workplace accommodation requests related to qualifying acts of violence as they do when employees request disability-related reasonable accommodations. Examples of such violence-related accommodations include changing an employee’s work phone number, letting the employee carry a phone at work, and modifying the employee’s work schedule.
Employers must engage in the interactive process with employees and must consider whether the employee or family member is facing immediate danger. The guidance also explains that employers...
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