(Newswire.net — December 12, 2020) —
Posting the required labor law posters is one of the most overlooked employer obligations, but what are the consequences for businesses who fail to obtain and post their labor law posters?
What are labor law posters?
Every employer in the U.S., whether they have one employee or hundreds, is required by law to display their latest Federal and State labor law posters. An organization’s labor law posters contain crucial information about its employee’s rights and obligations, which is why employers are required to display their labor law posters in the workplace in full view of employees, for example in a staff room or a communal area where employees gather.
Labor law posters are essential tools that govern the relationship between an organization and its employees. Labor law posters improve the productivity of employees in the workplace, but they remind employees of the laws, requirements and responsibilities that they need to adhere to within the workplace.
Consequences for failing to post labor law posters
Employers are required by law to obtain all the required Federal and State labor law posters, as well as any industry-specific labor law posters an organization may need. Employers often confuse the Federal labor law poster requirements with those of State labor law posters. The requirements and regulations of Federal labor law posters are exactly the same throughout the U.S., however the requirements of State labor law posters vary from state to state and that’s where most employers make the mistake. It is important to get a better understanding of the differences between Federal and State labor law posters, and labor law poster requirements of the state in which your business or organization operates. This way you will easily avoid making simple mistakes and having to deal with consequences.
The consequences of failing to post or correctly display both Federal and State labor law posters can be severe. Any employer who does not post all their relevant labor law posters can be cited by the respective agencies but they can also face hefty fines of up to thousands of dollars. Depending on the severity of the transgression fines can range from as little as $110 to a staggering $35,000. The exact amount of these fines depend heavily on the type of posters and the prerogative of the enforcing agency.
The severity of the consequences of failing to correctly post labor law posters stems from their function and importance in the workplace. Labor law posters inform employees of their rights and obligations under applicable laws but it also gives them an indication of how they can respond in the event that their labor rights are violated in the workplace. The citations and fines that employers can incur from failing to correctly display labor law posters are imposed to urge employers to abide by the regulations of the various labor law posters and safeguard the rights of their employees within the workplace.
How to stay compliant with labor law poster regulations
It isn’t always easy to ensure your business is compliant with the regulations of Federal, State and industry-specific labor law poster regulations. The internet is a good place to find the relevant labor law posters your business may require, but even government websites cannot always be trusted to provide you with a full list of which labor law posters your business may need to obtain.
The best thing you can do is to consult companies that specialize in labor law compliance. Labor law compliance companies conduct their own research and will know exactly which posters are relevant to your business, some even offer their clients an all-one-in compilation of all the notices and posters they will require. Using a labor law compliance company will take the anxiety and stress out of having to do all that research yourself, but it will also give you the assurance that your business has all the relevant labor law posters and is compliant with the different labor law poster regulations.
Getting your labour law posters
Going through a labor law compliance company is not your only option, with sites like TRUiC you can still make sure your business stays compliant. Using TRUiC, employers can download from a variety of labor law posters including some of the major federal labor law posters such as the OSHA poster and the USERRA poster.