Traditional Vs. Digital Labor Law Posters [15 Pros and Cons]
In today’s hybrid work culture, compliance signage is undergoing a digital transformation, and rightfully so. For the HR professional in small to medium-sized business, striking the right chord between traditional and digital formats is critical.
In this blog, we dive into the history of labor law compliance, and then we explore what you need to know when looking at traditional paper posters versus digital labor law posters today.
The History of Labor Law Posters
Labor law posters were created to inform employees of their rights under various labor laws and employer obligations.
The concept of workplace compliance posters, as part of broader efforts to regulate workplace safety and health standards, dates back many years—in fact more than 100 years.
In 1908, one of the first acts was established that addresses the idea that employers needed to take certain precautions for employee safety on the job.
The Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA) was established in 1908, and it was a law which allowed railroad employees to sue their employer for damages if they were injured on the job. The underlying idea with this particular regulation was to impose liability on railroads for injuries to their employees that could have been avoided (1).
Just two years later, in 1910, the first federal safety law, called the Employers' Liability Act, was also passed. This law helped to establish the idea that workers could sue their employers for injuries sustained on the job, if the employer had not followed certain necessary precautions.
At the time, it was one step in larger efforts to create safety standards that would support workplace safety (1, 2).
Other regulations at the time included the Federal Employers' Liability Act, the Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act, and the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act which helped to continue to establish acceptable practices around wages, hours on the job, and other safety and health measures (1, 2,5).
Although these are just a few examples of the laws enacted during that time period and the immediate years to follow, it goes to show the extent to which laws and regulations protecting workers did not exist prior.
All in all, labor law posters were created to protect both employers (by listing their obligations) and employees by ensuring a well-informed workforce that was aware of all the regulations that may impact their day-to-day work.
Today, the posters are required by various federal, state, and even local laws, and they are reflect the rights and obligations that exist within the workplace.
In order to stay up to date with these required postings and all the changes that take place to them, it takes regular monitoring of federal, state, and local laws to stay up-to-date with any updates or changes that are made.
Traditional vs. Digital Labor Law Postings
When HR professionals talk about “traditional” labor law workplace posters, they are usually referring to posters that are physical in nature—meaning they have been printed off and publicly displayed at a workplace where all employees go to each day.
Put simply, these posters have been posted within the workplace, in places where they are easily visible by employees. In years past, this has included hallways, in break rooms, and in other high traffic areas within the workplace.
When we describe digital workplace labor law posters, we’re referring to digital versions of these traditional posters.
Usually, when people are talking about the digital versions, they are referring to digital postings that may be on-site or accessed virtually, or both. Digital labor law posters are commonly accessed through a company’s website, intranet, email distributions for sign-off, and/or digital displays.
Although the format may differ, traditional workplace labor law posters and digital labor law posters serve the same fundamental purpose: to inform employees of their rights under various labor laws, regulations, and employer obligations. The key difference between the two lies in their format and how they are presented within the workplace.
Digital Labor Laws: Pros and Cons
Companies today are fully-on site; hybrid (meaning workers work both on-site and remotely); and fully remote or remote-first. That results in a great deal of flexibility when it comes to the delivery of compliance posters.
Top Benefits of Digital Posters
Accessibility: When the postings can be accessed through a company’s website, intranet, email distributions for sign-off, and/or digital displays, that often means that the posters are potentially more accessible than ever. If and when staff are across time zones or in different locations, it doesn’t matter, and posters are still readily available to access.
Easy-to-read: The DOL makes it clear that these posters need to be “easily readable” since they are intended to be viewed (4), and digital labor law posters make that very simple to achieve.
Easy customization: Not all employers are required to display the same posters, and individual states have their own set of workplace posting obligations that can vary significantly. With a solution like ePoster, customization can occur—but still be relevant for each employee, no matter where they live, and no matter the language they speak, for example. For traditional labor law posters, this can end up being more complex, especially each time there are new updates, for certain states and areas.
Compliance: Employers must ensure these posters are up-to-date with current labor laws, which can involve replacing old posters with new ones when laws change. Digital posters ensure that any updates are (almost) instantly available to staff to see. That may not be the case with physical posters that must be ordered and printed. With a solution like ePoster, HR professionals can have peace of mind that they are always up to date in terms of the latest labor law posters.
Posters viewed as intended: For companies with any remote workers or even workers who aren’t at a main office, the digital posters are more likely to actually be seen and reviewed, as intended.
Eco-friendly: digital labor laws reduce the need for printing and paper resources, year after year.
Potential Downsides of Digital Posters
Potential reliance on technology: One potential issue digital labor law posters present is that they often do rely on technology. This means that it’s critical to choose a platform with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface.
Regulatory ambiguity: Labor law regulations and requirements are in flux, which can be challenging for HR professionals to stay up to speed on, in order to be fully compliant with how the posters ought to be viewed by staff (6).
Traditional Labor Laws: Pros and Cons
Paper posters are the widely used option for conveying worker rights to employees. For those who are used to more traditional approaches in the workplace and do not have remote workers, this might be a good option.
Top Benefits of Traditional Posters
Legality: Physical labor law posters have been the standard to date, so there is no question on this format being fully legal and compliant.
Conspicuous posting: The Department of Labor (DOL) of website, under its FAQs section, writes the following about federal workplace posters in particular: “Federal workplace posters must be displayed or posted in conspicuous places where they are easily visible to all employees — the intended audience,” the site reads (3). Since historically all labor law posters have been printed, there is no question that traditional posters fit this requirement (3).
Low tech: For companies that tend to be low-tech, traditional posters may fit more closely with how they currently operate.
Potential Downsides of Traditional Posters
They may not be readily accessible: Some workplaces don’t have an optimal place for physical posters, so they get pushed to a closet or low-traffic area.
Not viewable by remote staff: For remote staff, on-site postings are not viewable, and therefore offer no value—yet companies still need to be able to provide remote workers with access to required workplace posters (6).
Posters are not automatically updated: HR professionals may not be aware of when the posters have been updated throughout the year. (On the other hand, digital posters ensure that any updates are [almost] instantly available to staff to see.)
No compliance tools:Traditional posters typically have no additional features such as the ability to sign-off on posters.
Navigating Hybrid Work Today
HR professionals and business owners must balance traditional and digital approaches to labor law posters today, finding out what is best for their company and their staff.
While so-called traditional posters have the benefit of established compliance and conspicuous placement, digital posters offer unmatched accessibility, customization, instant updates, and eco-friendly advantages, among other advantages (6). It's essential for HR decision makers to navigate these formats thoughtfully to maintain legal compliance and ensure that all employees, regardless of location, are informed of their rights and obligations.
Ready to Modernize your Compliance?
Embrace the future of workplace communication and compliance with ePoster’s digital labor law posters. Accessible, customizable, and instantly updated, digital posters represent an easy-to-use, always up-to-date, efficient solution for a workforce.
Discover how ePoster’s digital solutions can ensure every team member knows where to find essential labor law information, no matter where they work and live.
Sources
2. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/federal-employers-liability-act-1908
3. https://webapps.dol.gov/dolfaq/go-dol-faq.asp?faqid=537&faqsub=General&faqtop=Posters&topicid=17
4. https://webapps.dol.gov/dolfaq/go-dol-faq.asp?faqid=563&faqsub=Size&faqtop=Posters&topicid=17
5. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/government-contracts/pca
6. https://www.foley.com/insights/publications/2019/06/workplace-posters-compliance-moving-target/