What You Need to Know About California Rules for Personal Phone Use at Work

Published Date: March 22, 2023

In today’s digital age, it’s common for employees to use their personal phones for work-related activities. However, there are rules and guidelines in place to ensure that employees are compensated for this use and that their privacy is protected. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the rules around personal phone use at work in California.

Reimbursement for Work-Related Phone Use Under California law, employers are required to reimburse employees for any necessary expenses incurred in the course of their employment. This includes the use of personal phones for work-related activities, such as making calls, sending texts or emails, and accessing company software or applications. If an employee uses their personal phone for work-related activities, their employer must reimburse them for a reasonable portion of their phone bill.

Work-Related vs. Personal Use of Phones It can be difficult to determine when personal phone use is for work-related activities and when it’s for personal use. In California, the Labor Code provides some guidance on this issue. It states that if an employee’s phone is used for both work-related and personal activities, the employer is only required to reimburse the employee for the percentage of the phone bill that reflects the amount of work-related use.