Make sure your drivers and remote workers see the new labor law poster
Remote workers and those who are onsite intermittently, such as commercial drivers, may pose a challenge for motor carriers when it comes to making sure all employees can view the new “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster.
The new poster was released on October 19 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and replaces the “Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law” poster, also known as the “EEO is the Law” poster. Employers with 15 or more employees must display the new poster within a reasonable amount of time.
Tips for displaying posters for drivers
It takes some forethought to ensure that drivers see the new poster, along with other required state and federal posters The EEOC, and other state and federal agencies enforcing posting requirements, place great importance on these posters because they make employees, such as drivers, aware of their rights under federal and state employment laws.
To create a greater chance of your drivers seeing the new posting, and other required labor law postings, display them in an area commonly visited by employees. This may be:
- At the office,
- In the driver break room,
- In employee restrooms,
- In the fleet maintenance shop, and/or
- At another company location frequented by drivers.
Remote workers and drivers
Motor carriers, like most employers, probably have some remote workers on staff (sales, administration, dispatch, planners, driver supervisors, and/or customer service employees).
One strategy is to communicate electronically with them. The Department of Labor highly encourages the use of electronic posters for employees who are offsite. An internal website, for instance, provides an opportunity for posting an electronic notice. This shows a good faith effort to inform remote employees of their rights under the law.
If all workers are remote, electronic posting alone meets requirements. If you have some workers who are remote and some who are on-site, you’ll need physical posters in the workplace, and you’re encouraged to use electronic posters for your remote employees.
Making electronic posters available can be especially beneficial when you have drivers. They can be a tough group to communicate with, as they spend little time visiting the office or another company building. Having electronic posters available shows a good faith effort to communicate with them about their rights.
How to post electronic labor law posters
The posters in the workplace need to be posted in a conspicuous location where they’re visible to all employees. You also need to follow the “conspicuous and visible” rule when making sure your electronic posters are compliant.
To do this, make sure workers can easily access electronic labor law posters. Employers should not require employees to ask for permission to:
- Use a computer, or
- Go to the labor law posting website.
Some best practices include placing the posters:
- On a company intranet,
- On a shared drive,
- In a file system accessible to all employees, and
- On the portal where employees log their hours.
If your company has an electronic version of your employee handbook online or you regularly post information about company policy updates on your intranet, it is makes sense to have links to labor law posters there as well.
Whatever you do, make it easy for employees to get to them.
Communicate about the communication
Employers must take steps to tell employees where and how to access the electronic posters. You can do this during the onboarding process and can include information about electronic posters in your employee handbook.
Employees should also be able to determine which electronic postings apply to them, so they should be clearly grouped and labeled.
Key to remember: With the increase in the number of remote positions at motor carriers, one solution for providing labor law posters is electronic posting. Posting online can also be used in addition to physical posters as a way to share labor law information with your drivers.