Original Date: July 30, 2018

Currently there are over 350+ regulations for labor and employment posting requirements that impact city specific, county specific, size specific, font specific and state specific, throughout the United States.  From 2013-2017, there have been (2013) 35, (2014) 52, (2015) 47, (2016) 37 and (2017) 44 mandatory posting changes.  In 2018, there have been 31 posting changes in the first half of the year.  In 2012, there were 5 cities with minimum wage ordinances, in 2018 there are more than 40 cities and counties with minimum wage ordinances.  All of these changes can and do impact our organizations.  How do we keep up with these continuous changes that vary by city, county and state?  It can be daunting, but this article is designed to provide some guidance and thought on these changes and a proactive approach to ordering new posters.

Below are 10 considerations for labor and employment posting requirements:

  1. City Required Postings: 55+ cities now require the following postings; minimum wage, paid sick leave, fair chance, discrimination and pregnancy accommodation. Not all 55+ cities require all of these postings, but they do require some of the postings.  Remember, NYC will be requiring a sexual harassment posting later this year.
  2. What do we need to post: The posting requirements will depend on company size, location, industry specific and federal contracts.
  3. Federal Posting Requirements: This includes the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) (15 or more employees), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (50 or more employees), and The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
  4. Federal Postings Visible to Applicants: The Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Equal Employment Opportunity postings must be visible to all applicants. Postings should be visible in interview area’s or conference rooms.  What about phone interviews or skype interviews?  It is recommended to include the language in an email correspondence with the applicant(s).
  5. Remote and International Workers: It is recommended to send the employee a poster for the remote office location, ensure the updated posting requirements are on the intranet or email the posting requirements and verify signoff that the employee received and has copies of the posting requirements. If the employee travels and works in different states (example: New York and Pennsylvania), more than one poster might be required for these individuals with location specific information.
  6. Federal Contractor Requirements: Employee Rights Under the Davis-Bacon Act, Employee Rights on Government Contracts, Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act, Workers Rights Under Executive Order 13658, Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law, Paid Sick Leave, and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.
  7. State OSHA Programs: There are currently 21 states (and Puerto Rico) that have state specific OSHA programs and posting requirements. New York State and the State of Pennsylvania are not included in this list of state specific OHSA posting requirements, for now.
  8. General Posting Requirements: As employers we need to ensure posters are visible. Post where employees report each day, we may need to post in several buildings and/or in several locations.  We should not allow posters to be defaced or taken down.
  9. Federal Posting Penalties: OSHA up to $12,934, EPPA up to $20,521, FMLA $169 for each separate offense and EEO is the Law $545.
  10. New Poster Requirements: That is the question. Mandatory new poster requirements include; new law or regulation, change in law or regulation or agency directive.  Minor changes, the previous version remains in compliance.  Out of date posters are not accepted by the federal or state government.  Once information changes, we need to update immediately.  SHRM recommends taking picture or saving old posters.

The posting requirements continue to change at the federal, state and local levels.  In New York State, we will see changes to minimum wage at the end of 2018 that will require new posters in 2019.  We could also see sexual harassment posting requirements statewide and federal minimum wage changes.  Other thoughts I have include; ban the box postings, no salary history questions, investigation processes, etc.  Do not forget worker’s compensation posting requirements, paid family leave and short-term disability.  Ensure your posters are legal and up-to-date.  This is an area I audit and find common mistakes.  It is better to be proactive as an organization then reactive with labor posters.  There are many websites available for employers to order posters through, with shipping options to provide new posters as changes occur.  Remember, not every change happens at the end of a calendar year.  However, if you do not want to pay, the regulations can be found on government websites (not one website, many).  If you have questions, seek guidance and ensure you are compliant.

– Matthew Burr, HR Consultant

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Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD

Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered MCIPD Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ABOUT: Matthew Burr has over 18-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Montgomery Community College. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions. PUBLICATIONS: Matthew has over 70+ publications including, American Bar Association (ABA) Experience Magazine, Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), PayScale, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!),” proceeded by his second book, which was published in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game” and his most recent book, “Unbox Your HR Career” in July 2023. VOLUNTEER WORK: Matthew is currently the New York State Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) District-Director. EDUCATION & TRAINING: Additional Training & Development:  SHRM Workplace Coaching and Mentoring Recertification Program, 2020  SHRM Foundation Employing Abilities @Work Certificate, 2020  SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certificate Program, 2018  Delta County Chamber of Commerce: Delta Force Leadership Program, 2013 FEATURED IN & ON: Matthew was featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Fox News, Magnify Money, Monster.com, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation, Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Burr Consulting, LLC Capabilities Statement General Information: Burr Consulting, LLC Owner: Matthew W. Burr Mission Statement: “Strategically Aligning HR as a Partner for the Success of Your Business” Contact Information: Burr Consulting, LLC What's New in HR Blog Talentscape, LLC Labor Love, LLC (Labor Posters) The HR Support Center The Upstate HR Podcast (607)227-4386 Matthew@Burrconsultingllc.com Facebook: Burr Consulting, LLC LinkedIn: Burr Consulting, LLC Twitter: @Burrconsulting Online Certification Verification: Credibly Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Number: 080776443 NAICS Codes: 541612, 923130, 54161, 541611, 541613, 611430, 541618, 561312, 561311 SIC: 8742, 8748, 9441, 8748001, 8748026 Our Services HR MANAGEMENT New Hire Orientation; Temporary HR Support; Recruiting and Application Tracking; HR Compliance (ADA, FMLA); Employee Handbook; Policy and Procedure; HRIS; HR Audits; Job Profile Design and Revision; HR Key Performance Indicators; EEO Reporting and Classification; State Unemployment Insurance Services TRAINING & TRAINING DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development; Employee Relations; Workplace Violence; Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Union Awareness; Managerial EMPLOYEE & LABOR RELATIONS Employee Relations Training; Conflict Resolution; Mentoring; Workplace Investigations; Labor Contract Costing; Mediation & Arbitration Prep; Fact-Finding; Workplace Investigations; Coaching & Counseling; Performance Reviews; Contingency Plan Development; Contingency Plan Training; State of New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)PERB Mediation and Fact-Finding Panels (Albany, NY covering the Elmira, NY Area) HIRING & RECRUITMENT Applicant Tracking Systems; Metric Development; Interview Training; Workforce Planning; Recruitment; Interviews; Job Offers; New Hire Process POLICY & COMPENSATION Group Plans – Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Group Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability; Retirement – 401(k), Profit Sharing, Roth; Workers Compensation; Total Compensation Design and Strategy; Deferred Compensation Plans; Salary Surveys; Reward Systems; Online Payroll; Customized Payroll Processing; Employee Self Service; Customized Reporting HR COMPLIANCE MATERIALS Burr Consulting, LLC is excited to announce a new partnership with Labor Love LLC, expanding our services to include HR printed materials compliant with industry standards.

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