California law requires all employers to indemnify, or pay for, all employees’ necessary expenditures or losses that employees incur in performing their job duties or under the direction of their employers. That means that employers must provide all necessary supplies and equipment required to perform job duties. For example, if job duties require that an employee use a phone to speak with managers, coworkers, customers, etc., then the employer must provide the phone for the employee.
Accordingly, employers must reimburse employees for cell phone use when employers require employees to carry or use their own personal cell phones for work duties.
(See Link(s): Labor Code Section 2802)