Federal Laws Every Employer Should Know

The Department of Labor (DOL) administers and enforces close to 200 federal laws.

These laws cover the majority of workplace activities, businesses, applicants, workers, retirees and contractors.

  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – This law outlines standards for wages and overtime pay.  For nonagricultural operations, it restricts youths working hours and types of jobs they may perform. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is also enforced under the Wage and Hour Division. This act applies to aliens authorized to work in the U.S. under nonimmigrant visas like the H-1B, H-1C and H2A. Rights and responsibilities under the FLSA are covered on the mandatory-to-post notice included on your All-On-One poster from Compliance Poster Company.
  • Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH) – OSHA enforces the OSH Act which covers private and public sector employers. Under the Act, employers have a general duty to provide safe and healthful workplaces free from recognized, serious hazards.  OSHA also enforces whistleblower protections for employees who complain about their employers and violations of safety and environmental laws. Rights and responsibilities under OSHA are covered in the mandatory-to-post federal or state-plan notice included on your All-On-One poster from Compliance Poster Company.
  • Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) – Regulates employers who offer pension or welfare benefit plans for their employees. Title 1 of ERISA imposes fiduciary, disclosure and reporting requirements on fiduciaries of pension and welfare benefit plans.
  • Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) – This law protects civilian job rights and benefits for veterans and active and reserve members. Upon returning from service individuals must be promptly reemployed in the same position that they would have attained had they not been absent due to serving in the military. Employers should understand these are mandatory-to-communicate rights. A very effective way to accomplish communication is to post a notice in the workplace for employees to view at their leisure. You can purchase the USERRA poster at Compliance Poster Company. This notice should be posted next to or in close proximity to your All-On-One poster.
  • Employee Polygraph Protection Act – Under this law, most employers are restricted from using lie detector tests on employees, either for pre-employment screening or during the course of an individual’s employment.  There are restrictions, but the Act permits polygraph testing of specified employees of private firms when reasonably suspected of involvement in a workplace incident that resulted in an employer’s economic loss or injury. Strict standards do apply.  This mandatory-to-post notice is included on your All-On-One poster from Compliance Poster Company.
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – This law entitles employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.  Covered employers include private-sector employers with 50 or more employees, public agencies (local, state, federal) regardless of the size and public or private elementary or secondary schools regardless of size. This mandatory-to-post notice is included on your All-On-One poster from Compliance Poster Company.

To find out more about each of the laws you can visit the US DOL, click here. To purchase State/Federal All-On-One posters and for all of your labor law needs visit Compliance Poster Company.