So you've purchased your labor law poster subscription... now what? According to the Society for Human Resource Management, "employers are required to have posters conspicuously posted at each organizational facility." Typically, "conspicuous" posting involves displaying the required state and federal documents in a break room or frequently-accessed common area to which all employees have access.
However, as small businesses work toward lower overhead, many employees may end up working remotely. And as an employer, that does not mean you're off the hook on communicating the required labor laws. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your viewpoint), there is no definitive way to communicate these postings. SHRM clarifies for full-time telecommuters, "employers are not required to post federal and state posters in home offices, but employers are responsible for ensuring telecommuters have access to these posters."
The organization goes on to explain that employees who regularly check into a central location should be made aware of the location of employment posters. For those who are not required to do so, SHRM recommends sharing the contents of the posters on a company-wide intranet.
The bottom line is that all employers are legally required to post or share the labor law information with their employees, so we recommend making your best effort to do so. You may share the documents with each employee by email, updating them whenever there is a change, or even by fax. Although it's not required, you may even choose to send a physical copy of the compliance posters to each employee's home office or appropriate address.
In the event of an employee dispute or legal incident, you must be able to prove a "good faith effort" to notify everyone - telecommuters and office workers alike - of their rights. And if you need to know when updates are taking place, be sure to follow along on our blog.