Sunday, December 30, 2012

Useful Information about Obtaining Labor Law Posters in US



When we come to getting labor law posters in the United States for your workplaces, one of the most important things to remember is that it should always be updated from time to time and must not be dilapidated or defaced. The labor law posters must be visible to every employee in the workplace so make sure these are displayed on areas such as lobby, cafeteria or wash rooms.

There is a penalty for those who don’t abide by these rules from the US Department of Labor. Companies or employees may visit the official website of the US Department of Labor to find more information about it. Simply, go to their Compliance Assistance page. Under it, there is a section for Posters there where all the updated ones are posted.

Once the page is open, simply scroll down the website to view all links for the labor law posters. Visitors can click on any of these links and have them printed out at their offices or in their own houses. The files are usually in PDF files or forms which are easily downloadable. Just make sure that the user has an Adobe PDF reader in order to view it properly and have the poster printed.

These posters vary from laws and acts concerning various aspects of working in a company. It deals with the salaries of the employees, if there are health issues or hospitalizations either because of an accident or pregnancy, insurance, death etc. Moreover, there are US labor law posters from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Family and Medical Leave Act.

Also one must take note of the different states in the US that implement additional labor laws. Each state has their own requirements of the labor laws apart from the federal laws implemented by the US government. Some of them cater to particular businesses and not all companies. So it is basically a responsibility of every business owners to post these posters in their companies for their employees to see.

For example, in Texas the state includes unemployment insurance for those affected employees. In California, they have quite a lot of laws varying from pregnancy disability, vacation leaves, and medical leaves. So it really depends on which state the company is in. There are various scenarios in different states so having the applicable labor law posters will greatly help.

These posters can be printed also in different languages since there are a lot of expats living in the US. They may either be in English, Spanish or Chinese depending on the number of foreigners living in the particular city or state. Having these options will allow everyone to understand the labor laws.

The government penalizes a company for $100 or more if they failed to post the US labor law posters in their companies. Also if these are old and dilapidated labor law posters,  the penalty may apply to them. It is a serious case since they can be brought to court if needed. The best way to avoid getting penalize is to adhere to the laws implemented by the government.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Things to Keep In Mind When Reinforcing Labor Law Compliance Posters

If you are an employer operating your business within the United States, it is important that you make sure that you utilize labor law compliance posters. The United States Federal Government has long reinforced labor laws in each state for the purpose of protecting employees and labourers from the possibility of abuse and harassment coming from their employers. And this is where utilizing labor law compliance posters come in. It is important that you not only comply through the requirements of the Department of Labor for just the sole purpose of complying with them but rather, for you to be able to effectively utilize the purpose of these labor law posters.


To effectively comply with these requirements, you have to keep the following in mind:
  • Be Updated: You may have all your labor law posters posted in every relevant location in the office premises but then again, if they are not updated then it will not be effective. Not to mention the fact that it is a clear sign of neglect and non-compliance and you as a business-owner, can be held liable for it. The good news is that there are agencies that specialize in creating and updating labor law posters to reflect recent changes in the law such as minimum wage increases, court decisions, or new requirements for procedures. One of the most reliable ways of being updated is by regularly checking government websites. You also have the option of getting in touch with these agencies to get yourself updated.
  • Protect Your Posters: Labor law compliance posters, just like with any other posters can be altered or defamed. One of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA’s requirements when it comes to posting labor law posters is to keep these posters safe from being damaged or altered. This can be done by having these posters laminated by a third party group or enclosing the posters within a glass. This will protect them from getting damaged, altered by unpleasant employees.
  • Hold A Meeting: Just simply posting the posters where the employees can see them is not enough. It is important that as a responsible employer, you have to make sure that your employees are aware of their rights, their benefits, how much they are earning and how it is calculated. And you can achieve this by organizing a meeting with all of your subordinates and have the lower level superiors organized their own individual meetings and orient their teams with any changes in these laws. Just informing them is also not sufficient since you need to ensure that they understand what these labor laws are saying. If you have employees who speak another language other than the English language, then you may want to post copies of these labor law posters in their native languages in addition to the English language.

If you plan on setting up your own business, do not underestimate the importance of complying effectively with the department of labor’s requirements. However, if you already own a business then make sure that you do not become lax when it comes to implementing labor law posters in your office premises.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Factors to Take Into Account When Applying For a Company



There are a number of factors which you should always consider when you are applying for a particular company. Make sure that you take the following into account:

Market Share: A good company is one with a huge market share. You will know that a company has a healthy market share if it is in the forefront of the industry. Companies like these are less likely to end up being financially endangered. Always take note that a company having a downward trend when it comes to its market share is likely losing clients and therefore are more prone to cutting the number of their employees just enough to accommodate the number of customers they get on a daily basis.

Uniqueness: Find a company which has a unique marketing position based on their products and the services they sell. These companies should also be able to confidently present their products and services. If they do not have a value proposition, chances are they will likely be overwhelmed by the tight competition.

Products and Services Sold: Always make it a point that you are comfortable selling the products and services of a company. If for example you are disinterested with what they are selling then chances are, it will affect your motivation as well as your sales output. Having a sense of pride in selling your company’s products is a big help and will get you motivated to perform better. Another thing that you should take note of is the future of the products. Are the products and services the kind of products and services which are likely to disappear in the market in a span of a few months or years? Are these products good that a lot of people around the world will need them once in a while?

Culture and Value: Not all company has the same culture or ethics but what is important is that the culture of the company as well as their values and ethics are something that you are willing to uphold. Make sure that you have an idea of how the environment is where the employees are working at.

Is The Company Reputable? This is one of the most important things that you should take note of. The fact is that there are a lot of companies out there which are not that reputable and you may end up in one. One way of figuring out if a company is reputable is by researching about its history and its image in the market from before up until the present. A decent company should be a company which follows the requirements of the department of labor such as posting Texas labor law posters in the company premises. The company where you plan to apply should also have a positive brand name.

Applying for the wrong company is not only a waste of effort but a waste of money as well as time. Make sure that you conduct a thorough research on a company’s history or background first before submitting your letter of application or resume to them.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

California Labor Law Posters add More Rules and Regulations


Most people realize that the federal government has a set of labor laws that all businesses are supposed to follow.  The purpose of these laws is to make sure that the rights of the employees and the employers are protected.  If there were not laws in place, many businesses would take advantage of their employees in order to make sure they make as much money as possible.  Over the years the rules that businesses have to follow have changed.  It is the responsibility of all businesses to make sure that they have labor law posters in place that informs employees about the rights they have and where they can find out more information about these rights.  The posters also let employees know what they can do if they feel that they are not being treated in a fair and lawful way.

The fact that the federal government has set up labor laws will not surprise many people.  Most already realize that there is a federally mandated minimum wage and that businesses are not allowed to discriminate.  What will surprise many people is that the federal laws are not the only ones that businesses have to abide by.  Each state can also have their own labor laws and regulations that may actually exceed the mandate from the federal government.  In California, it is the responsibility of each business to not only have the federal labor laws on display, but they also need to have the California labor law posters on display as well. 

The California posters add several things to the rules that have been established by the federal government.  These include:

  • Minimum Wage: The California minimum wage is actually higher than the federal minimum wage.
  • Payday Notice:  Employers must provide a specific pay date for employees.  They also need to give a location where employees get paid.
  • Emergency Phone Numbers: These show the phone numbers to call for emergency response.
  • Workman’s Compensation Information: This tells employees what they are entitled to when they are hurt on the job and how to get it.
  • Whistleblower protection: This describes the rights of employees who inform authorities if a company is not complying with the law.
  • Unemployment Insurance: This lets employees know when they are eligible and what they are eligible for if they become unemployed.
  • Time off to Vote: This lets employees know that they can be given time off of work to vote if necessary.
  • Pregnancy leave: This describes the job protection that women who need time off due to a pregnancy are entitled to.

Some of the laws that are put in place in California are similar to the ones that are set by the federal government.   They are often times more strict and require the employer to do more for their employees.  It is possible that a business can be compliant with the federal laws and be out of compliance with the California laws.  If they do not follow the rules that are set forth by the federal government or the state of California, they can be fined.  The posters are only a part of following the rules.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Important Contents of Labor Law Posters




Compliance Posters are mandatory for every employer to post within the facility where every employee should be able to access the information provided in these posters. These Labor Law Posters have the information which describes the rights of the employees at their work place. There are different topics which will be covering the issues related to employee safety as well as health and other rights of the employees. The contents of the Labor Law Posters will be changed according to the nature of the business. There are specific reasons for different labor laws for different businesses. As you know that the working conditions differ from industry to industry. For example working environment of a big Software House and a Steel Mill will be pretty different from each other. Safety and health related issues will be varied according to the industry.
When you are going to get the compliance posters from any source, you need to make sure that the content of the posters must be very clear and understandable for the employees. The business owners must be clear on this point that they are required to display the both State and Federal Labor Law Posters at their work place. Displaying the both posters is mandatory otherwise the authorities can charge a fine to business for not displaying the posters. There are different topics which are described by the posters such as the rules and regulations related to the following.
  • ·         Discrimination for the employees at workplace
  • ·         Any kind of Harassment which may be experienced by the employees
  • ·         Injuries which can happen to the employees during their work on job
  • ·         Safety and Precautionary measures
  • ·         Health related guide and protection plans as well as the rights of employees
  • ·         Information related to Insurance Benefits in case of Unemployment
  • ·         Minimum Wage
  • ·         Contact Numbers to call in case of emergency
All the information, rules and regulations related to above topics must be displayed in the facility for employees.
Every employer regardless of the business industry is bound to exhibit IWC (Industrial Welfare Commission) Wage Order. Industrial Welfare Commission is an authority to define the rules and regulations regarding the wages, working environment, work schedules, working hours and etc in accordance with different industries and occupations. Hence the IWC Wage Order will be containing all this information which is necessary to be acquired by the employees. Also the labor laws can be changed on regular bases by the State and Federal Authorities or Legislative Institutions. This is why business organizations are required to keep posting the most recent information through Compliance Posters.
You can expect the most frequent changes in some of the laws such as Minimum Wage, Safety as well as health requirements and other labor laws. This is the reason that you need to get the updated information to post on your compliance posters. It is not a difficult job to find out the updates being introduced by the legislative authorities as you can go online and browse through the websites of state and federal governments anytime. It is recommended that you should have compliance posters which have been revised by some Law Professional.