Labor and Employment Law Posters Basics
What every employer should know about labor and employment law posters
Employers are required by both federal and state law to inform their employees of their labor and employment rights by providing labor and employment law posters in the workplace. These posters are required to be displayed in common and conspicuous areas, such as break rooms, lunch areas or reception areas.While the requirements of workplace posters vary from state to state, labor and employment law posters basics generally include:
1. The Minimum Wage compliance poster which informs employees of the minimum wage, overtime wage and child labor standards
2. The Occupational and Safety Act, or OSHA posters, which inform employees of their right to a safe workplace and provide information on how to report an employer's lack of compliance with labor laws and OSHA.
3. The Equal Employment Opportunity poster which describes the types of discrimination that is prohibited in the workplace
4. The Family Medical Leave Act poster which informs employees of their right to unpaid leave for certain family and medical situations
5. The Employee Polygraph Protection Act poster which states that employers are prohibited from discriminating against applicants or employees who refuse a polygraph test
6. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act employment notice for those employees subject to the Act.
Find out the compliance poster requirements of your state
In addition to the federal requirements, each state has its own laws on labor and employment law posters basics. Luckily, there are many readily available resources to help you find out your particular state's current requirements.
Try: GovDocs provides a summary of each state's employment and labor law poster requirements. The Department of Labor website also has an interactive map that allows you to select your state and connect you to your local small business office and poster requirements.
Get the appropriate labor and employment law posters
Once you know your state and industry's requirements, you will need to get the necessary employment notices. You can get free posters from the your state labor law office or print out copies from the Department of Labor website. For a price, you can also get employment and labor law notices in full color, laminated and fully up-to-date from several online vendors.
Try: The Department of Labor has the most recent federal labor law notices and employment posters. The Labor Law Compliance Center has both federal posters and state posters, as well as those posters specific to certain industries. Environmentally conscious employers may even want to consider "going green" by purchasing recycled posters printed with soy-based ink from vendors such as the Poster Compliance Center.
Post the employment law posters in an area that they are likely to be noticed
Depending upon the nature of your business, you will want to post the labor and employment notices in a manner and place that attracts the most attention. For prominent and noticeable employment and labor law posters that can easily be seen by every employee, it is helpful to frame the posters to make them more conspicuous and less resistant to everyday wear and tear. Employers in states with a large Spanish-speaking populations should provide the required labor notices in Spanish as well.
Try: Personnel Concepts offers accessories, including poster hangers and frames, to better display your federal and state labor law notices. The Business Know-How website offers employment and labor posters in Spanish for those employers with a Spanish-speaking workforce.
- Because compliance with labor and employment law posters basics can be tricky, if you have any questions at all about state or federal labor law posters required for your business, you should contact an experienced labor law attorney. Your state's Bar Association should be able to refer you to an attorney in your area who is experienced with workplace posters and labor law compliance.
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