If you’re a business with at least one employee, you’re required to display certain federal labor law posters in a common area of your workplace where all employees and job applicants can easily view them. Most of these postings are issued by various sub-agencies of the Department of Labor (DOL), except for one, which is issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
As an employer, you are also responsible for keeping up with any changes made to these postings — as well as new postings that may be issued from time to time. The issuing federal agencies release new or updated versions of federal labor law postings as needed to address new laws, procedures, administrative guidelines or contact information.
Below are the six mandatory federal postings, including details on what each law covers, affected businesses and posting instructions. .
1. EEOC Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
What it says: Informs job applicants and employees of their rights under federal Equal Employment Opportunity laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), the Equal Pay Act (EPA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).
Who must post: Employers with 15 or more employees
Who enforces: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Posting instructions: Display where all employees and applicants can see it.
2. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Poster
What it says: Describes in detail the federal law regarding minimum wage, overtime pay, tip credit, break time for nursing employees and child labor.
Who must post: Employers whose annual sales total $500,000 or more or who are engaged in interstate commerce
Who enforces: U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division
Posting instructions: Display in a conspicuous location accessible to all employees, such as employee break rooms, entrance areas and lounges or near time clock stations.
3. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster
What it says: Summarizes the major provisions of the federal leave law and tells employees how to file a complaint.
Who must post: Public agencies (including federal, state and local employers), public and private elementary and secondary schools, and private employers with 50 or more employees.
Who enforces: U.S. Department of Labor —Wage and Hour Division
Posting instructions: Display where all employees and applicants can see it. Note: You must display the poster at every business location, even if there are no eligible employees at that location. Also, if a significant portion of your workforce is not proficient in English, you must provide the poster in a language the employees speak.
4. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Poster
What it says: Explains that employees are entitled to a workplace free from recognized hazards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, with guidance on how to report workplace hazards.
Who must post: Private employers engaged in a business affecting commerce
Who enforces: U.S. Department of Labor — Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Posting instructions: Display in a conspicuous location accessible to all employees, such as employee break rooms, entrance areas and lounges or near time clock stations.
5. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster
What it says: Informs applicants and employees that employers may not request or require lie detector tests for employment purposes or retaliate against them if they refuse to take lie detector tests.
Who must post: Any employer engaged in or affecting commerce, or in the production of goods for commerce
Who enforces: U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division
Posting instructions: Display where all employees and applicants can see it.
6. Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Right Act (USERRA) Notice
What it says: Summarizes the reemployment rights and non-discriminatory job protections for uniformed service members under USERRA
Who must post: All employers
Who enforces: U.S. Department of Labor — Veterans’ Employment and Training Service
Posting instructions: Display where all employees can see it
Displaying updated federal labor law posters protects your business from costly fines and penalties, as well as potential employee lawsuits.
