From a small office of two to a sprawling workforce of 200,000, one rule always applies: Labor law posters need to be displayed correctly and consistently. Yet many employers still ask, How many labor law posters do I need? and Where should labor law posters be displayed?
Failing to maintain compliance can lead to costly fines and added risk, which makes it essential to understand the requirements and how to apply them properly across your entire workplace.
Make Sure to Cover All the Bases
As a foundation, labor law posters must be displayed prominently in high-traffic areas of your workplace. The goal is straightforward: Ensure postings are visible and accessible to as many employees as possible. If your layout doesn’t allow for a single location where all employees will regularly see the posters, multiple posting stations may be necessary.
Facilities with multiple entrances often present a challenge. Employees may tend to use a certain doorway, but relying on a single entrance for compliance can leave gaps. To help ensure visibility, posters should also be placed in shared spaces such as break rooms or other common areas where employees routinely gather.
In smaller offices, this requirement can often be met with one well-chosen location, such as a common hallway, near a time clock or in another highly visible area. Larger organizations, however, typically need more than one posting site to provide reasonable access for all employees.
For work environments without permanent walls, such as kiosks or mobile workstations, a binder containing all required postings is considered compliant. This option only applies to these workspaces and should not be used in traditional office or facility settings.
When in doubt, setting up additional posting locations is often the simplest way to reduce compliance risk.
Posting Requirements for Job Applicants
Federal posting requirements aren’t restricted to current employees; they also apply to job applicants. In fact, four of the six mandatory federal labor law posters must be displayed in locations accessible to both employees and applicants.
If applicants visit your facility for any reason, whether to submit an application or attend an interview, these posters must be clearly and prominently displayed for their review. The requirements extend to online hiring as well. Employers who accept job applications electronically must provide applicants with access to the same postings, typically through a link to the most current versions.
So, how many posting stations are necessary? Unfortunately, there’s no fixed number or formula outlined in the regulations. Compliance depends largely on the layout of your facility and how applicants and employees move through the space. When in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of caution to minimize risk.
Don’t Overlook Remote or Hybrid Employees
As remote and hybrid work arrangements continue to expand, employers must also ensure offsite employees have access to required labor law postings. For employees who regularly work on computers, electronic delivery is an acceptable method for sharing mandatory postings.
That said, electronic postings do not replace physical requirements for on-site staff. Employers must continue to display physical posters at traditional workplace locations, while providing electronic access for employees who work remotely.
Ensure Complete Posting Protection for Your Business
Whether you need one set of posters or a dozen, Poster Guard® Poster Compliance Service provides every required federal, state and local labor law posting. Plus, whenever a mandatory change occurs, you automatically receive a replacement poster at no additional charge.
