Labor Law - Required Workplace Posters

We’ve all seen the groupings of various labor law posters that are usually hanging up in the breakroom of your business. Maybe you haven’t given the these workplace posters much thought in years, or possibly ever. 

However, staying up to date on required labor law postings is essential for compliance reasons. If you woke up in a cold sweat wondering whether your employment posters are out of date, don’t worry—after reading this post you'll be on the right track.

Here's how to determine which labor law posters your business needs to display, where to post them and what to do if your employees are working remotely. 

RELATED: Know Your Rights: New Mandatory EEOC Poster Released >> 

What Labor Law Posters Do We Need to Display? 

The specific labor law posters you’ll need to display vary based on several factors, such as the size of your company, where your business is located, what sorts of activities you are engaged in, and what types of workers you employ. For example, if your business employs fewer than 50 workers, several federal labor law poster requirements (like those associated with the Family and Medical Leave Act) will likely not apply to your business. 

Businesses should be aware that while the federal government requires a set of labor law posters, the various states in which your business employs workers may require further disclosures. Finding out which specific labor law posters you need to display doesn’t have to be a guessing game, and there are many resources to help you determine what you need via the Department of Labor.

The DOL’s FirstStep Employment Law Advisor can walk you through a series of questions and generate a list of posters specific to your company. Relevant considerations include the following: 

• The nature of your business (i.e., retail, manufacturing, housing, healthcare, etc.) 
• The number of workers you currently employ or plan to employ 
• Whether you hire or plan to hire workers with disabilities 
• Whether you hire or plan to hire workers that are non-citizens or permanent aliens 
• Whether your business has an arrangement with or is affected by a union or collective bargaining organization
• Whether your business maintains or will be maintaining a pension or retirement savings plan program for employees
• Whether your business maintains or will be maintaining a health benefits plan program for employees
• Whether your business is involved in any federal contracting or subcontracting
• In which states your business operates and/or employs workers 

Make sure to have this information ready before working through the DOL FirstStep Advisor. 

Federal Labor Law Posters 

A series of regulations passed by the federal government and enforced by the Department of Labor require certain posters in nearly all workplaces. Make sure you have the most up-to-date versions of the following federal labor law posters displayed in your workplace: 

• Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) 
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) 
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA/Child Labor) 
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 
• Whistleblower Protection Provisions 
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) 

You may need to display other posters if, for example, you employ disabled workers or aliens, have a contract with the federal government, or employ more than 50 workers (among other details). You may also need to display other posters required by the state(s) in which your business operates. 

RELATED: FLSA Basics: A Toolkit for Employers >> 

Kansas Labor Law Posters 

The State of Kansas requires several posters in addition to those mandated by the federal government. If your business operates or employs workers in Kansas, make sure to have the most recent versions of the following: 

All Kansas Employers 

• Kansas Unemployment Insurance Poster 
• Kansas Workers Compensation Posting Notice Poster 
• Kansas Indoor Clean Air Act / No Smoking Poster 
• Kansas Equal Opportunity in Employment Poster 

Select Kansas Employers

• Kansas Child Labor Poster (if you hire children under the age of 16 and are not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act) 

RELATED: 50 Employees Compliance: What Employers Need to Know >> 

Missouri Labor Law Posters 

The State of Missouri requires several posters in addition to those mandated by the federal government. If your business operates or employs workers in Missouri, make sure to have the most recent versions of the following: 

All Missouri Employers

• Missouri Notice to Workers Concerning Unemployment Benefits Poster 
• Missouri Workers' Compensation Law Poster 
• Missouri Discrimination in Employment Poster 
• Missouri Minimum Wage Law Poster 

Select Missouri Employers

• Missouri Notice to Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence Leave Time Allowed Poster (this applies to Missouri employers with 20 or more workers) 
• Missouri Employer's Employing Workers Under the Age of 16 List (if you hire children under the age of 16) 
• Missouri Discrimination in Housing Poster (if you are in the business of selling or renting housing) 
• Missouri Discrimination in Public Accommodations (if you are doing business in places that are open to the public) 

Remote Employees

With many businesses seeing an influx of remote operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are wondering, “Do you have to display employment law posters for remote employees?”

The short answer is “yes,” and the Department of Labor offers plenty of guidance on how to accomplish this. See the "Where & How to Display Labor Law Posters" section.  

Where & How to Display Labor Law Posters (For Remote and In-Person Workers)

1. When a business has employees who work remotely and in the office, the Department of Labor encourages employers to use electronic postings for remote workers. Hard-copy posters must be displayed in an employer’s physical locations, even when electronic postings are available. So, if you have some employees in-person and some working from home, just make sure you’re covered on both bases. 
   
   
2. Posters must be easily accessible. For remote employees, this means they should be visible on either your employee intranet website or on a new, separate website. However, some posters, such as the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) posters, need to be visible to both applicants and current employees. 
   
   
3. Make sure your employment posters have no barriers to access (i.e., ensure employees and applicants don’t need a password or other special electronic permissions to access them). Employees should be instructed on how to access posters electronically, for example, in an employee handbook.
   
   
4. Determine exactly which labor law posters you need to display with the help of an experienced PEO. 

Federal and state laws (including required labor law posters) are always shifting. While many small to mid-sized businesses simply aren’t large enough to stay up to date on ever-changing policies, it doesn’t mean they should go without HR compliance and employee relations expertise.

Consider outsourcing HR functions to an experienced professional employer organization (PEO). Working with a PEO provides your business with access to employee relations and HR experts that can help your company thrive. As a trusted and certified PEO, Axcet saves you time, money, worry and stress, so you can concentrate on growing your core business. 

Do you have questions about required labor law posters or your current employee policies? We have answers. Schedule a time to speak with our experienced team today >>