A number of federal, state, and local laws require employers to display labor posters in their workplaces that include information about relevant employment laws. Employers should be mindful of the following mistakes concerning workplace posters.

Mistake #1: Posting the Wrong Posters A good place to start your poster inspection is with the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) online Poster Advisor, an interactive tool that can be used to determine the poster requirements of several federal laws administered by the DOL. Be sure to check with your state labor office for state-specific poster requirements, as well as any industry-specific requirements that may apply to your business. You should also check with your local municipal government, as certain localities may require additional workplace postings.

Mistake #2: Posting Outdated Posters Workplace posters are updated from time to time–for example, to reflect changes in the law–so make it a regular practice to check whether the posters displayed in your workplace are the most recent versions available.

Mistake #3: Posting the Wrong-Sized Poster Many of the agency links to required workplace posters contain specific information regarding a poster’s size. If you have any questions regarding the required size of a poster, contact the DOL or the applicable state or local agency.

Mistake #4: Hanging Posters in the Wrong Place Workplace posters must generally be displayed in a prominent location where all employees can see them, but some posters may have special location requirements. Check for specific requirements for the posters you must display, and choose each poster’s placement carefully.

Information regarding the federal requirements and links to downloadable posters are featured in our Federal Poster Requirements section within the Client Resource Center HR library. For state-specific posters, visit our state laws section within the Client Resource Center HR library, select your state, and click on ‘Posters’ in the left-hand navigation menu.