Importance of Labor Law Postings

As federal, state and local municipalities issue new laws, the primary means of communication to the general business community is through labor law compliance posters.  Posters summarize important details of the law and are required to be displayed within the workplace.  Labor laws protect both individuals and companies, providing clear, specific and documented details of the key foundations that protect both the employees and the employer.

Posters provide the key points that employees must know.  For example, they state the employees rights under the law and what they should do if they feel that their employer has violated the law, including telephone numbers and websites for reporting violations and to gain additional information.  Posters are also a key way to communicate the laws and their individual and collective responsibilities to an employer.  A good example of how compliance posters help both the employee and the employer is the federally required Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) poster titled, Job Safety and Health—It’s the Law.  This notice outlines employee rights concerning their safety in the workplace while letting employers know what they must provide to their workers.

Displaying posters in highly visible, often frequented locations of the workplace ensures that employees and employers have ample opportunity to know these laws and their corresponding rights and responsibilities.  By displaying these notices, employers may reduce lawsuits and minimize disputes and grievances.  This has a direct impact on employee morale, productivity and the bottom line of a business.

Finally, it is important to keep current with any changes to the posters.  Updates are issued periodically, and it is important that employers post the updates immediately upon their release.  This will ensure compliance and will be certain that employees have access to the most current information that affects them.  There is no requirement to announce the content of changes to the workers.  It is simply required that the most current version of the poster is always on display and easily available to employees.