Got Employees? Workplace Posters Are Required

If your window film business employs people – and all but the very smallest shops do – then federal law mandates that you display certain federal labor laws prominently in the workplace. Not every labor law will apply to your business, of course. However, to be in compliance and to avoid misunderstandings, penalties, and even lawsuits, knowing which laws are applicable to your business and employees is critical.

The U.S. Department of Labor offers workplace posters, at no charge to U.S. small businesses, which spell out the labor laws your employees have a right to know. It’s very likely that your business can meet the DOL compliance requirements by displaying just a few, at most up to seven, of the most common workplace posters.

Some of the posters spell out workplace laws that apply to nearly every business, laws with which everyone in the workplace is at least somewhat familiar: workplace safety (OSHA) and non-discriminatory hiring (EEO), for example. Others will be relevant to your company depending on factors like number of employees, whether your workers are unionized, and your involvement with federal contracts.

At the Department of Labor website, you can view a list of the workplace posters available, states which employers must display each poster, and describes any penalties or citations that may result from failure to comply. The DOL has even devised a handy tool to help employers identify the workplace posters needed to bring businesses into compliance with labor law. Called the FirstStep Poster Advisor, the tool asks a series of questions about your business. It then produces a recap of your answers, along with a list of the posters that are likely to be pertinent to your company.

If there is a drawback, it’s that you must call the DOL to order workplace posters; there is no online order form. Once you have formed a list of the posters you require, call 866-4USADOL (487-2365). Taking a little time to obtain the workplace posters you need costs nothing, and complying with labor law in this manner could save you some serious headaches later on!