Does Your Small Business Need To Display Compliance Posters?

Compliance isn’t something many entrepreneurs love, let alone think about often. And that’s okay — not many people do. But ensuring your small business complies with federal, state, and local regulations is crucial. And one important aspect of employer compliance is the proper display of compliance posters.

Not sure where to start? We’ve got your back with a guide to help you understand compliance poster requirements for small businesses.

Federal Compliance Posters

A number of federal laws mandate businesses display certain posters to inform employees of their rights and responsibilities. What’s great for business owners is that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) provides these posters at no cost. The key posters to consider focus on three federal laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA-focused poster outlines minimum wage, overtime pay, and child labor laws. Every business covered by the FLSA is required to display this poster in a place where it stands out very clearly and is easily accessible to employees.

Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

The OSHA-related poster informs employees of their rights to a safe workplace. All employers have to display this poster, regardless of how many employees they have on the payroll.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

For businesses with 50 or more employees, the FMLA poster is another that’s required to be posted. This poster explains employees' rights to take unpaid, job-protected leave for family and medical reasons.

State Compliance Posters

In addition to federally required posters, each state has its own specific poster requirements. Each state’s labor department provides these posters, which cover various topics.

Minimum Wage

Many states have their own minimum wage laws, which can differ from the federal minimum wage. Employers are required to display the state-specific minimum wage poster if it’s applicable to your business.

Workers' Compensation

Most states also require businesses to display information about workers' compensation benefits and procedures. This particular poster helps employees understand their rights if they are injured in the workplace.

Anti-Discrimination

Certain state laws might provide additional protections against discrimination that go beyond federal laws. Displaying the state anti-discrimination posters that apply to your business is essential to maintain compliance.

Local Compliance Posters

Aside from federal and state requirements, local governments may have additional requirements for compliance posters. These can include city-specific ordinances on minimum wage, paid leave, and more. Do your due diligence and check with your local labor office to ensure you're meeting all local requirements.

Industry-Specific Posters

Depending on your industry, you might have a few more compliance poster requirements to consider. Make sure to research any industry-specific obligations your business might have to ensure it remains compliant.

Tips for HR & Safety Poster Compliance

Employer compliance isn’t something you should take lightly. If your business is found to be non-compliant, it can be subject to penalties at the federal, state, and/or local levels. Government agencies can also use non-compliance (like a lack of required posters) as grounds to audit your business and investigate additional practices for compliance with applicable laws. To avoid this, consider the following tips to maintain poster compliance.

1. Update Posters Regularly

Laws and regulations change pretty frequently, especially across the employment landscape. It’s important to keep up and regularly check for updates to ensure your posters are current and accurate. One great resource that can help is Justworks’ hub for the latest updates to employer laws and regulations.

2. Display Posters in Accessible Locations

When displaying posters, make sure they’re placed in areas that are easily accessible to all employees, like the walls in break rooms or near time clocks. If you have a large office, it can also help to place posters in multiple locations. You should ensure that all employees, including those with disabilities, can access the information. For remote employees, consider using a web portal to supply them with a downloadable version they can access anytime.

3. Provide Multilingual Posters

Along the same lines, it’s important that compliance posters can be read by your employees, regardless of their native language. If you have a diverse workforce, consider displaying posters in multiple languages to ensure all employees can easily understand their rights and responsibilities.

By adhering to compliance poster requirements, employers can create a safer, more informed workplace and avoid potential fines or legal issues. Do your best to stay proactive by regularly reviewing your compliance needs to keep your small business running smoothly.

How Justworks Can Help

Diving into employer compliance alongside all your other tasks can feel pretty daunting. You don’t know what you don’t know, and that can be tough to address. But having a partner to help you manage compliance can make all the difference. That’s where Justworks comes in.

We’re invested in helping small businesses grow, and that means providing entrepreneurs with reliable compliance support. What does that look like for our customers? Justworks provides federal, state, and local compliance posters automatically (along with digital versions for remote employees). We also handle ACA filings while helping small businesses access COBRA administration and life and disability insurance. Justworks takes care of withholding, reporting, and remitting payroll taxes (and filing W-2s and 1099s), and you’ll get multi-state compliance support from Justworks, too. We can help with state tax registration and close out states where you no longer have team members.

With this many compliance aspects off your plate, imagine how much time you could invest in growing your business — why wait? Get started with Justwork today!