Human Resources professionals understand how important and challenging it can be to remain updated and compliant with labor laws. This is especially true when managing multiple locations or remote employees across different states. One component of multi-state HR compliance includes ensuring you meet all state and federal labor law poster requirements.
Companies must ensure they have the proper posters displayed in all their locations and that they give their remote employees access to the posters. Companies who don’t comply with labor law poster requirements risk fines and legal complications.
Let’s take a closer look at the importance of labor law posters, challenges with multi-state locations and remote employees, federal and state requirements, and how you can partner with your company to support compliance in this area.
Labor law posters are not just informational or optional; they are a legal requirement. These posters inform employees about their rights under both federal and state employment laws. It’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the posters are updated when laws change, and failing to comply can result in significant fines - especially for businesses with multiple locations.
In addition to legal requirements and minimizing legal risks, proper posting reinforces your company’s commitment to labor law compliance and educating employees.
For businesses that operate in multiple states, managing labor law poster compliance becomes more challenging. Each state has its own specific requirements, and these laws can change frequently.
HR needs to be tracking updates to ensure their employer is posting the correct materials in each location. For example:
There are several key federal labor law posters that all employers must display, regardless of their location. These include:
Additionally, there are a few other things employers need to keep in mind when displaying labor law posters:
Again, federal posters are required nationwide, but employers must also follow each state’s individual posting mandates and laws.
State labor law posting requirements vary significantly across the U.S. For example:
Bottom line is that both state and federal labor law posters are required to be displayed where they are easily accessible to employees.
When your organization has locations or employees in multiple states, it can be a lot to manage. Laws can change at any time throughout the year and your organization must be aware of these changes and get updated posters to each and every one of your affected locations. These tasks can add to an already long list of HR professionals’ responsibilities.
The biggest challenge in multi-state compliance tends to be the high number of different state laws that require regular monitoring. State laws can change frequently, and HR must help their employer keep up to avoid any compliance or legal issues. For instance, updates to workers' compensation laws or increases in minimum wage could require an immediate change in posted materials. Tracking all of these updates for each state where your company operates is a high priority.
Remote and hybrid workers further challenge labor law compliance. Employers are still required to provide the correct posters to remote employees, which might involve mailing physical copies to their homes or providing them access to digital versions.
Digital posters are increasingly being used to simplify this process, but even digital formats must comply with state-specific rules, such as accessibility standards and required translations. Again, HR needs to consider this component of compliance and communicate updated digital posters to remote employees when a change occurs.
The consequences of failing to post the required labor law materials are more significant than most employers realize. Non-compliance can lead to costly fines, specifically:
Failure to comply can also expose a company to legal risk if employees file complaints or lawsuits, claiming they were unaware of their rights due to outdated or missing posters.
HR professionals can follow these helpful tips to lessen the burden of multi-state compliance management.
Regular audits of your current labor law posters are crucial for maintaining compliance. This means checking that both federal and state posters are accurate, properly displayed, and up to date. Auditing regularly helps identify gaps and ensures that all posters meet legal standards.
Since labor laws are frequently updated, it is important to have a system in place to track legal changes in the states where your business operates. You can subscribe to a service that provides updates or partner with a poster company that tracks this for you. When changes are made to a law, they will ship you a new poster right away.
To manage labor law poster compliance for remote employees, consider using digital posters. These can be accessed from anywhere and offer the flexibility to meet specific state and federal requirements. Additionally, digital posters can be customized and easily updated as laws change. If a law changes, you simply have to provide your remote employees with a link to the new poster versus physically mailing them a new copy.
Partnering with companies like OutSolve and the Labor Law Center, part of the OutSolve family, for automatic updates is highly beneficial and recommended to obtain current state and federal labor law posters. We can ensure your business has the most current posters in place, saving you time to focus on other strategic initiatives and reducing the risk of non-compliance in this area.
Here are some additional best practices for maintaining labor law poster compliance:
HR plays a lead role for ensuring state and federal labor law poster compliance at their company, including for multi-state locations and remote or hybrid employees. Regular audits, staying informed about legal updates, and using digital solutions can help keep your organization ahead of the game and in compliance with workplace posting requirements, while minimizing legal risks.
Our experts at OutSolve and the Labor Law Center are ready to partner with you and make it easy for you to meet this critical and complex compliance requirement.