Do you own a business in the US that employs one or more people? Here are 9 important facts that you need to know about labor law workplace posters:
1. Labor law posters are there to remind employees of their rights and responsibilities
The intention behind labor law posters is that they will provide important information to the employees of a business. This information is intended to improve productivity in a workplace. At the same time, it reminds both employers and employees that they both have rights to uphold and responsibilities to fulfill.
2. Businesses are required to display labor law posters by law
Employers of one or more people are required by law to display labor law posters around their workplace.
3. Labor law posters must be easily accessible
An employer must place all their labor law posters in a place that is easily accessible to their employees.
4. Labor law posters must be protected against alteration, defacement or theft
Labor law posters are official government notices and as such need to be protected by the employers who put them up. The best way to prevent your posters from being altered, defaced or stolen is to laminate them and /or put them inside a glass viewing cabinet, for safety.
5. There are legal consequences for not displaying labor law posters
Not displaying (or not displaying the correct labor law posters) means that an employer has not provided their employees with the rights that relate to the labor they are performing. This is illegal and punishable by a fine. There are Federal and State agencies that conduct inspections and issue fines in this regard. Fines for this range between $110 and $35,000.
In addition, if an employer has failed to display the relevant posters, they may leave themselves open to lawsuits by their employees.
6. State and Federal labor law posters are different
Businesses are required to display labor law posters providing information from both the State and the Federal government’s labor laws.
Federal labor law posters contain regulations set down by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), rights set out by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), information about the Federal Minimum Wage Act and the important details of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA).
On the other hand, State labor law posters detail individual state regulations on labor law.
7. Identifying which labor law posters your business needs to display can be tricky
Depending on the nature of your business, the list of labor law posters you may have to display can be long and complicated. What makes it even harder is that the laws and regulations can change from year to year.
8. The internet does not have all the answers when it comes to labor law posters
While our first port of call for information like this is often the internet, in this case you need to be careful when using the internet to identify which labor law poster you need to display. A very common problem is that government agencies will usually only indicate if your business needs their own labor law poster and do not provide a comprehensive list of all the posters that your business must display.
9. Ensure you are compliant with labor law poster policy and seek advice from a labor law compliance company.
There are many companies that specialise in assessing and assuring labor compliance. These companies are experienced at ensuring that businesses meet all the necessary requirements to be compliant State and Federal labor law poster policies. Often, to avoid the hassle of having to create your own comprehensive list of posters that need to be displayed, it would be easier to contact and seek advice from such a company.
The paperwork that is required for the starting of a business and can often leave people unsure and overwhelmed. Ensuring that your company is compliant with labor law poster policy does not have to contribute to that entrepreneur’s stress; let labor law compliance specialists handle your paperwork so you can concentrate on growing your business.