Important Update: The New Federal EEOC Know Your Rights Poster

For the first time in 13 years, on October 19, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new “Know Your Rights” poster that replaces the “EEO is the Law” poster. The poster was updated again on October 20. The new poster explicitly states that workplace discrimination and harassment are illegal and encourages employees to learn their rights. 

We highlight the most important changes to the EEOC’s poster below. 

Current Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws

The new poster summarizes protections for employees under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Pay Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Genetic Information and Nondiscrimination Act. Specifically, the poster sets forth protections for employees based on these characteristics:

• Race
• Color
• Sex, including pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, and gender identity
• National origin
• Religion
• Age (40 and older)
• Equal pay
• Disability
• Genetic information, including family medical history or genetic tests or services
• Retaliation for filing a charge, reasonably opposing discrimination, or participating in a discrimination lawsuit, investigation, or proceeding

The new poster retains these protections and summarizes federal law so that all covered employees can understand their rights if they experience discrimination based on any of the characteristics above.

Key Changes to the New EEOC “Know Your Rights” Poster 

The EEOC made several changes to its anti-discrimination poster to ensure that all employees can easily understand their rights when it comes to workplace discrimination. To start, the new EEOC “Know Your Rights” poster is designed in a way that clearly presents the factors that employers cannot use to discriminate against employees in the workplace. For example, the factors are in a bulleted list in straightforward language. 

Next, the new poster clearly explains that harassment is prohibited in the workplace and clarifies that harassment is a form of discrimination. Importantly, the new poster clarifies that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on pregnancy and other related conditions, discrimination based on gender identity, as well as discrimination based on sexual orientation. The new “Know Your Rights” poster also contains information about equal pay discrimination for federal contractors. 

One of the most important additions to the EEOC “Know Your Rights” poster is a QR code linking applicants and current employees to instructions detailing how they can file a complaint if they experience workplace discrimination or harassment. Now, victims of workplace discrimination or harassment don’t have to independently research how to file discrimination claims.

Further, the poster is available in English and Spanish and will be available in other languages in the future. 

Where Employers Must Display the New EEOC Poster

Employers must display the poster conspicuously in a location in the workplace where important notices are posted. But employers must take additional steps to make sure all employees are aware of their rights:

• To accommodate teleworkers and workers employed with companies without a physical location, employers are required to provide a digital copy of the poster on the employer’s website.
• Under the ADA, employers are required to post anti-discrimination notices in a location that is accessible for employees with limited mobility.
• Employers should provide printed notices in an accessible format for employees who do not have the ability to see or read.
• Audio notices should be made available for any employees with impaired hearing. 

To comply with federal law, employers who have 15 or more employees need to display the new poster immediately.

It can be difficult to keep up to date with all of the latest federal, state, and local labor law posters. That’s why we take the headache out of labor law poster compliance with a subscription plan that helps you stay on top of the latest changes.

Buy our compliance plan now, and you’ll get the EEOC’s updated “Know Your Rights” poster plus every update you need to stay in compliance for a full year.