Calif. Court Rules Businesses Must Reimburse Cell Phone Bills

New submitter dszd0g writes The Court of Appeal of the State of California has ruled in Cochran v. Schwan's Home Service that California businesses must reimburse employees who BYOD for work. "We hold that when employees must use their personal cell phones for work-related calls, Labor Code section 2802 requires the employer to reimburse them. Whether the employees have cell phone plans with unlimited minutes or limited minutes, the reimbursement owed is a reasonable percentage of their cell phone bills." Forbes recommends businesses that require cell phone use for employees either provide cell phones to employees or establish forms for reimbursement, and that businesses that do not require cell phones establish a formal policy.

Comments

It depends

[nurb432]

To me it all centers around: Was BYOD optional?

If they offered a company device and you refused, then i say you are on your own.

If they didnt offer one but you NEED it to do your job, then i say they are on the hook, as well as tax credit ramifications.

If they dont offer and you only use it as its a convenience to make your life easier, then again, you are on your own.

Furthermore, if you are optionally using your device for office work, they get to mandate policy on its use, up to and including MDM type control.

BYOD is just a bad idea. Companies should give employees the tools they need for their job, and forbid personal devices.