Brief: California's Employee Reimbursement Ruling Won't Stem BYOD

On August 12, 2014, a California appellate court ruled that a company whose employees were required to use personally owned mobile phones to make voice calls for company business must reimburse them for the costs they incurred specifically for carrying out their work. On the surface, the ruling seems to imply that the cost of any personally owned technology or service an employee uses for work must be reimbursed under California law, but a closer analysis reveals that this is not the case. While it's true that the ruling sets a precedent for other technologies, such as data plans and apps employees also purchase for work, employers need only reimburse employees for the costs of technologies necessary for the job and where the employer provides no reasonable alternative. This report provides the essential details and guidance to help infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals get up to speed and prepare.