Workplace Poster Requirements
Several federal and Wisconsin laws require you to post information in the workplace explaining employees’ rights under the law. Failure to comply with posting requirements may mean monetary penalties. Failure to comply also may mean that governmental agencies responsible for enforcing the employment laws are more likely to audit or investigate your workplace for other violations. In some cases, time limits that typically apply to employees filing a claim alleging a violation of the law may be extended when workplace posters aren’t posted. Which workplace posters are required in your workplace? Take a look.
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development
Employee Rights Under Wisconsin’s Business Closing/Mass Layoff Law. Employers with 50 or more employees (excluding employees who work less than 20 hours per week and employees who have worked less than six months) are required to display this poster.
Hours and Times of Day Minors May Work in Wisconsin. All employers that hire minors, except agriculture and domestic service employers, are required to display this poster. Posting is optional for employers that don’t hire minors. The poster is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Employee Protections Against Use of Honesty Testing Devices. All employers that use honesty testing devices are required to display this poster.
Wisconsin Fair Employment Law. All employers are required to post this one. The poster is available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act. Employers with 50 or more employees are required to post this one. The poster is available in English and Spanish. Also note that employers with at least 25 employees but fewer than 50 must post their workplace policies with respect to leave for the reasons specified under the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act.
Wisconsin Minimum Wage Rates. This poster is optional.
Notice to Wisconsin Workers with Disabilities Paid at Special Minimum Wage. Employers with a special minimum wage license issued by the Department of Workforce Development are required to display this poster.
Notification Required When Employers Decide to Cease Providing a Health Care Benefit Plan. Employers with 50 or more employees in Wisconsin are required to display this poster.
Retaliation Protection for Health Care Workers in Wisconsin. All employers that are health care providers or own or manage a health care facility are required to display this poster.
Notice to Employees About Applying for Wisconsin Unemployment Benefits. This poster is required for all employers that are subject to the Wisconsin Unemploy¬ment Compensation Law (i.e., private employers that have either (1) paid at least $1,500 in wages during any quarter in the current or preceding calendar year or (2) had at least one employee in each of 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year and all government employers regardless of the number of employees). The poster is available in English, Spanish, and Hmong.
Wisconsin Department of Commerce — Safety & Buildings Division
Public Employee Safety and Health. Wisconsin public employers are required to display this poster.
Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace. This poster also is required for all Wisconsin public employers.
U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division
Employee Polygraph Protection Law. All private employers that engage in or affect commerce or are in the production of goods for commerce are required to display this poster.
Your Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. This poster is required for all employers with 50 or more employees. It’s available in English and Spanish.
Federal Minimum Wage — Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. All employers/persons acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to an employee, including a public agency but excluding a labor organization, are required to post this one.
Employee Rights for Workers with Disabilities Paid at Special Minimum Wages. This poster is required for all employers of workers with disabilities under special minimum wage certificates authorized by the Fair Labor Standards Act or the McNamara-O’Hara Service Con¬tract Act and/or Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act.
Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act. All farm labor contractors, agricultural employers, and agricultural associations that employ any immigrant agricultural workers must display this poster.
U.S. Department of Labor — Occupational Safety and Health Act
Job Safety and Health Protection. This poster is required for all private employers. The poster is available in English and Spanish.
OSHA Form 300A — Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. All employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (defined as any person engaged in a business affecting commerce who employs others, including the U.S. Postal Service) and all Wisconsin public employers are required to post the summary from February 1 to April 30 of the year following the year covered by the form.
U.S. Department of Labor — Veterans Employment and Training Service
Your Rights Under USERRA, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. Employers must provide notice to all persons entitled to rights and benefits under USERRA. Posting a notice is one acceptable manner of complying with the notice mandate. Employers that are also federal contractors have additional posting requirements.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Is the Law. All employers that employ at least 15 employees each working day in each of 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or preceding calendar year are required to display this poster.
Final Words
Conducting an annual audit of your workplace bulletin boards and posters is a good way to make sure you’re in compliance with applicable workplace posting requirements. Information as well as copies of the required posters can be found at the websites for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (www.dwd.state.wi.us) and the U.S. Department of Labor (www.dol.gov).
To subscribe to email alerts from Axley Law Firm, click here.
