Do You Need to Buy Labor Law Posters Every Year?

Do I need to buy labor law posters every year? The simple answer to whether you need to replace labor law posters every year is… maybe.

Compliance is About Mandatory Changes – Not Calendars

If you’re in charge of the postings program for your company, it may be tempting to simply press the purchase button on a labor law poster vendor’s webstore year after year. Chances are you will receive compliant posters every January — whether you need them or not.

But guess what? The posters from last year may still be perfectly good.

Labor Law Posters: When to Buy

In 2020, there were more than 310 mandatory posting updates, continuing an upward trend over the last several years.

Let’s imagine you want to be absolutely sure your company has the most current workplace labor law posters. Does buying every posters every year guarantee compliance?

No, and here’s why:

• Not every posting change takes place Jan. 1 each year
• Government agencies often issue postings later than the effective date of new laws

That means when you buy your brand new posters, it’s possible the very next week one of the required postings could change. You just purchased a non-compliant poster to proudly display for 51 weeks until you order again.

You need to audit your locations and cross-reference your existing posters with any updates that may have happened.

Labor Law Poster Compliance. Simplified.

Regular Posting Updates

Some postings do change each year like clockwork. For example, many minimum wages rates adjust on an annual schedule or based on changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). But some postings change less frequently, or not at all.

So if you’re looking for compliance certainty, and you don’t want to overspend on posters, you may want to consider outsourcing your program to a labor law poster vendor. That way, your locations automatically receive replacement posters if there have been changes to the required postings. Even if the same posting changes twice or three times in a year, you’re locations are covered. (And, yes, it can happen.)

Moral of the story: If you have an annual budget allotted for the purchase of labor law posters, consider whether you want to spend it on the uncertainty of “buying posters to be safe,” or letting an outside vendor help manage your compliance efforts.

How Do I Know if My Posters are Up to Date?

The best way to tell if your posters are up to date is to audit your existing posters. To perform an audit, you may need to cross-reference the print date on your posters with a list provided by poster providers. However, that can be a confusing and time-consuming process.

Many labor law poster providers have turned to using QR codes. By simply scanning the QR code on the poster with your smart phone, you can tell instantly if a poster is compliant or not.

Conclusion

Labor law posters are your first line of defense in case of an employee complaint. And companies that take compliance seriously want to ensure their locations have up to date posters.

But that doesn’t mean simply marking your calendar to buy all new posters once a year. Postings can update at any time of year, and maintaining compliance takes constant monitoring, managing shipments, ensuring location managers are displaying posters correctly, and plenty of time and effort.

This blog was originally written in 2013 and has been updated with new information.