What are Labor Law Posters?

Labor law posters are summaries of federal and state employment laws. Employers are required by law to display these posters in areas where they are visible to employees, such as breakrooms, cafeterias, or entryways.

Most employers are required to post a variety of federal labor law posters. The most commonly required federal posters included these:

Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Addresses the federal minimum wage and other important wage and hour laws
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Is the Law: Explains the federal laws relating to employment discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, equal pay, disability, and genetic information
Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Addresses the federal minimum wage and other important wage and hour laws
Employee Rights and Responsibilities Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Describes when an employee has the right to take leave to take care of themselves or a family member with a serious health condition.

Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law (Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA): Sets forth employee rights and employer responsibilities for maintaining a safe workplace
Your Rights Under USERRA (Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights): Describes the rights of military personnel to reemployment in their civilian job and to be free of discrimination because of their military status.
Additional posters may be required in special circumstances, such as if you employ migrant workers or disabled workers or if you are a federal contractor or subcontractor.

Federal posters are available in English and Spanish. If you employ Spanish-speaking workers, it is best practice to post both versions, even if it is not required by the law. Some laws suggest only posting Spanish posters when the Spanish speaking employee population crosses a certain percentage of the workforce, but it never hurts to go the extra mile to demonstrate your desire to comply with the law

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Why Do Employers Have to Post Labor Law Posters?

Any business that employs at least one employee is required to post labor law posters – with the exception of family-owned businesses where all employees are related.

The purpose of these posters is to create a fair, safe, and legally compliant workplace: they inform employees about their rights under the law, the benefits that these employment laws give them, and the procedures for reporting any violations.

Posters must be displayed so that every employee has access to them; they cannot be maintained in a binder. If a company has multiple buildings and employees do not report to a central location, then it must post a copy of the required labor law notices in each building. If a company only employs remote employees, it must still share the posters, though in this case, sharing the posters electronically should be sufficient.

Finally, employers must ensure that they have posted the most recent version of federal and state labor law posters. These laws change frequently; sometimes they take effect on January 1, but they often become effective in the middle of the year. It is essential that employers monitor the laws for mandatory changes to the law that require a new poster, so they can avoid falling out of compliance and risking fines or other penalties.