Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill(SB) 513, which expands the scope of personnel documents employers must allow current and former employees to inspect.
Previously, under the California labor code, employers were required to allow current and former employees to inspect and receive a copy of the personnel file the employer maintains relating to the employee’s hiring (including but not limited to recruiting documents, applications, job descriptions, handbook and policy acknowledgments), performance or to any grievance concerning the employee. Under the amendment to the law, employers must also allow employees to inspect records pertaining to education or training that the employee received. Companies now must take care to retain specific information relating to training and to insert these records into each participating employee’s personnel file.
Such records must include all of the following:
- The name of the employee
- The name of the training provider
- The duration and date of the training
- The core competencies of the training, including skills in equipment or software
- The resulting certification or qualification.
This law takes effect January 1, 2026.