Labor Law Poster: Your Basic Rights on Print

State labor law posters mandated under the US Department of Labor to be well-displayed in workplaces can differ from state to state. Colorado labor poster is then different from New York labor law poster. However, even though there are differences among states’ labor laws, there are some general guidelines that must be included in those labor law posters. In this article, two state labor law posters and some general information that must be featured on those posters will be discussed.

All state labor law posters should have the following general laws:

·         Minimum wage set for each state

·         Workers compensation posters

·         Insurance policies posters

·         Health and safety posters

The three state labor law posters that we are going to talk about are that of Texas, New York, and Colorado. These three have so much differences as the labor laws established in each of the two states are different as well. Some of the information, especially those of the above mentioned general information, could be the same. But first, we will go over the differences.

Payday laws are distinct to the State of Texas as these laws were founded here. These laws give workers the right to receive fair compensation and to file claims for any unpaid salaries and wages. Child labor laws and laws that regulate hazardous occupations are also featured in Texas labor law posters. On the other hand, New York labor law posters emphasize on criminal conviction records, discrimination, unemployment insurance and laws on disabled employees. In addition, the New York labor law posters also feature the Fair Play Act and public work laws. Colorado labor poster, on one hand, includes the Medical and Family Leave Act, Labor Relations Act, Employee Polygraph Protection, Veterans Merit Improvement Act of 2004, and Equal and Standard Employment Opportunity laws.

All these state labor law posters, no matter what state they are intended for, are intended for one and the same thing: to inform all employees of their basic rights so that they can be protected from any possible abuse of managerial power by their employers. They obligate employers to educate their employees of their basic rights. Meeting this federal requirement is in fact an advantage to companies as well. Productivity can increase because employees are satisfied with their compensation and are happy because they are treated fairly. As employers, you will see the benefits of labor law posters in the long run.

Make Your Posters Attractive and Interesting

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the US Department of Labor requires all business, including the federal government, to post safety notices on the workplace premises. In case Safety posters are not a good option, the company is then mandated to conduct safety training programs. In the training program, workers must be given useful information on how to react in case of emergencies. Moreover, they must be informed of potential dangers and hazards.

There are other various means to promote healthy and safe working environments, but posters are still the most inexpensive and effective one to get safety messages across. Why is it so? More often than not, whatever was said during the safety trainings can be shrugged off or forgotten because it was just heard once or twice. And the worst possible scenario is that no one has listened to it at all! On the other hand, posters work the opposite way. Whether intentionally or not, employees see them every day at work and serve as constant reminders. The only problem is how your employees are going to read them the first time you posted them.

 Most of the time, it takes a bit of comedy to tickle the attention of people to read safety posters. Since you cannot add crack up jokes on more formal postings like the New York labor law posters, you can pour all the funny thoughts you can think of on safety notices. Just don’t go beyond the line that instead of be taken seriously, they may turn into mere comical work diversion and lose their intended purpose.

Here are some examples of lines that can crack a good laugh or a simple innocent smile:

·         Know how to use a fire extinguisher: PASS IT! (Pull. Aim. Squeeze. Sweep).

·         Caution: This machine has no brain so use your own.

Your posters need not only be focused on your employees. They may also be for your customers. Another criterion for readable posters is the message must be simple and short. Cut the lengthy sentences and reserve them for speeches. No employer would spend his precious working time just to read a notice.

Make the graphics and pictures as simple as the text. Overly decorated posters are not pleasing to anyone’s eyes. True enough, illustrations have a great impact on the effectiveness of the poster. But make it so that it is easily remembered.

Labor Law Posters: Getting the Most Out of Them

Securing copies of labor law posters is no different than grabbing food from the fridge. It is easy and there’s always stuff to take on a regular basis. The task of actually conveying the posters’ messages, however, is a totally different story. Common obstacles include the poster’s location and lack of reading interest. The good news is there are a couple of common and easy ways to ensure that their real messages are relayed properly.

1.       Post in a high-visibility area. As a business owner, you’ll want a lot of the right people to see your labor law posters. The main and break areas are good examples since these areas encounter heavy traffic on each working day.

2.       Take a moment to read once in a while. You don’t have to make it a ritual performed on every visit to your establishment. The point is to remind yourself periodically of the laws and regulations that make your business a good example of an efficient and compliant workforce.

3.       Encourage staff to read – and understand. Wouldn’t things be a lot easier if it wasn’t only you who paid sufficient attention to those posters? Get your staff to participate in the knowledge-building by discussing with them the importance of reading and understanding what’s in those posters. Even the new and young employees who easily get bored reading legal documents will find it interesting if they know the benefits that come from reading them.

4.       Use posters as a reference to resolve related internal issues. If an employee working for an Ohio-based firm disputes his/her salary, then the solution can most likely be found in one of those Ohio labor law posters. Rather than go into an endless loop of debates with the disputing employee, the owner can simply read with him/her a poster related to minimum wage as a starting point. A representative of the payroll department will most likely be needed to determine the root cause and settle things. The point is simple: Make both parties aware of the legal facts, and then proceed to resolving the issue fairly.

5.       Update. One of the worst things an employer can do is leave his firm relying on outdated labor law posters. Just as the saying goes, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one.”

There are a lot more ways not discussed here that will maximize the use of your posters. These five tips, however, can provide a solid starting point and turn your employees from passive observers to active promoters. They will not only play a big role in promoting your team’s effective compliance with the law, but also become good examples to other employees themselves.

The labor law posters can protect you

As employer, you have to ensure complete compliance with the state, federal and OSHA posting requirements of labor laws posters. Only purchasing the relevant labor law posters does not mean you have got it done once and for ever, since you are also required to post them at the prominent places that are frequented by your employees. In addition, if there are employees who speak another language, then you have to get the labor law posters printed in that language and let them clearly and correctly understand their rights stated in the labor law posters.

Understanding California Labor Laws for Employees Protection

In United States, each state has its own law and the employers of the organization have to abide by both federal and state laws so that all the activities are conducted in accordance with legal requirements. In present times, the state laws have mandated that the organizations post State labor law posters in their business amenities so that employees have all the detailed information about their rights. Although some organizations believe that they need to post only federal labor law posters but it is important for them to post the state labor law posters as well because there is some variation in the labor laws among various states. For example, the requirements of California labor law posters will differ from Florida labor law posters as the posters need to address mainly the safety regulations and workers’ compensation.

Although there are many other types of posters that are mandatory in the organizations functioning in California but safety posters and workers’ compensation posters have the highest priority in the organization. The state laws in general require all employers to post the labor laws, labor regulations, safety codes, National Labor Relations Act and many other notices that are relevant for the employees. In order to ensure that the employees can have a quick look at their rights, the employers develop one labor law poster that incorporates every right declaration of the employees as described in the state law.

Since the labor law posters give an idea about the laws enacted for the employees in the state, the organizations have to make sure that they give concrete and real information. some regulations that the California employers have to abide by are unemployment insurance benefits, emergency phone number, compensation, state disability insurance, minimum wage, harassment or discrimination in employment, payday notice, and other regulations which are quite closely related with the rights and the well fare of the employees.

The main purpose of the labor law posters is to inform the employees about their rights and also to give satisfaction to the employers that they are meeting all the necessary obligations as set by the mandatory statutes. Therefore, it is important for the employers that the notices are posted in a format that anyone can access and it should be posted in the place which is within the reach of every employee. However, employers must make sure that the laws that are not posted are communicated to the employees through right medium.