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Employers across a range of industries manage numerous labor law protocols to ensure compliance with federal and state regulations. Sometimes the process and scope of considerations feels overwhelming. Typically, this isn’t due to a company’s lack of diligence or willingness to take compliance seriously, but a simple consequence of receiving inconsistent or fragmented information regarding what’s required and which state or federal policy changes have occurred. Labor law poster policies are particularly notorious for changing with some frequency (a subject we’ll explore in greater depth shortly).
In this article, we’ll help you answer the most important questions regarding labor law poster requirements in 2022, with a particular focus on Georgia state laws.
Federal Requirements
Before we dive into labor law poster requirements specific to the state of Georgia, let’s refresh on what’s required by the Federal Department of Labor. A great starting point is to use the Federal Department of Labor’s FirstStep Poster Advisor, which is designed to help employers determine which federal posters they are required to post based on a series of questions about their industry, company size, employee roles, etc.
Fortunately, like the state of Georgia, the Federal Department of Labor offers a website where free and printable pdf. files of all federally required posters are consolidated and available for download.
Since both federal and Georgia state law mandates that posters be posted in English and Spanish, two versions of each poster type are available for download.
Georgia State Law Requirements
Similar to the Federal Department of Labor, a complete list of printable bilingual posters (in PDF format) is available at the Georgia Department of Labor website. In addition to providing state-required posters related to Unemployment Insurance for Employees, Employee Vacations, and the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, the Georgia Department of Labor website offers additional information on Child Labor laws and poster requirements specific to industries like Agribusiness.
Printing Options
Although employers can directly download required federal or Georgia state labor law posters from the websites listed above, it’s worth considering high-quality printing options to save time, printing costs, and logistical headaches. CAVU can ensure you receive your intended, industry-specific posters and provide updates (and new posters) when updates to labor poster laws occur on the federal level or in Georgia. These posters are durable, high-quality, laminated versions of the posters featured on the websites above.
Adapting to Changes in Labor Law Posters
As we mentioned earlier, federal and state labor law posters change somewhat frequently. The good news is that when a change is implemented, there is typically a “grace period” of 30 days, during which the old versions are still acceptable to display while new versions are being printed, prepared, and posted.
As a general guideline, be sure to review your federal and Georgia labor law posters at least once a year. When a new version of a poster is introduced, prepare and post it by the effective date. Also ensure that you keep the old version of your posters and photograph where they were originally posted to demonstrate that they were compliantly posted in the event of a future dispute with a former employee or the Department of Labor (state or federal).
Display Requirements
If you have employees who work remotely or hybrid-at-will, it’s best to send them your company’s required federal and Georgia state posters electronically to document that you’ve informed them of their rights.
In a traditional office setting, your state and federal posters should be displayed in a conspicuous spot in the office: an area where all of your employees are guaranteed to see them on a daily basis. Although Georgia state law doesn’t make specific room/space designations, a safe bet is to place your posters on a bulletin board among other notices, in a break room, close to a time clock, or in the main lobby near the entrance of the office. Businesses with multiple offices or locations must display the posters at every location.
Ensure the appropriate posters are also visible to job applicants. This will at least include the Equal Employment Opportunity labor law poster and possibly others depending on your industry.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
Since companies are obligated to comply with both federal and state poster laws, in Georgia and elsewhere the financial “fallout” of noncompliance can be steep and disruptive. Federal law regarding labor law posters is enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and among federal poster laws alone, noncompliance can lead to fines ranging from $178 to 13,653 per violation. If a company is guilty of compliance violations at multiple locations or receives multiple individual penalties for violations of state and federal requirements, the financial implications could be quite severe.
This is the reason why labor law compliance (related to posters and other issues) is so crucial. It’s not uncommon for an isolated complaint about something like an unpaid lunch break to lead to a thorough audit that unearths other violations that could lead to penalties. Noncompliant posting of labor law posters could also lead to unwanted, costly, and time-consuming lawsuits from current or former employees.
How CAVU Can Help Your Company with Georgia Labor Law Compliance
Even with all of the necessary information and resources in hand, it’s a challenge for companies to navigate state and federal labor laws in an efficient way that ensures full compliance. Undoubtedly, you want to meet all necessary requirements and avoid legal/financial consequences, but not detract from your core business operations in the process.
We’re here to help you with every stage of this process. The best way to ensure compliance with all applicable labor laws is to use an efficient payroll and HCM system. We offer comprehensive support, including labor law posters that feature everything required for your business to post. Let’s bring your labor law practices up to date and to full compliance so you can focus on your business’ growth and success. Contact us today to start our collaboration.
