Executive Summary
As labor and employment laws continue to change, employers increasingly rely on their trusted HR, payroll, and workplace service providers to manage labor law posting compliance on an ongoing basis. This article explains why posting compliance is not a once-a-year task, how individual labor laws create specific workplace posting requirements, and the legal and financial risks employers face when postings are missing or outdated. It also outlines the consequences of non-compliance and why managed, provider-delivered compliance services have become the preferred approach for keeping pace with constantly changing federal, state, and local requirements.
New Wave of Labor Law Changes & What It Means for Posting Compliance
Each year begins with a new wave of employment laws that take effect nationwide. Recent annual employment law summaries—such as this 2026 update published by NatLawReview—highlight just how extensive and wide-ranging these changes are, particularly at the state and local level. Employers generally make an effort to familiarize themselves with these developments to ensure their business practices align with new legal requirements.
What many business operators miss, however, is that most of these changes also trigger new or updated workplace posting requirements, necessitating prompt action. Keeping workplace postings current isn’t just an administrative task—it’s a legal obligation. Failing to update required notices as laws change can expose employers to fines, penalties, and increased financial risk in the event of a dispute.
What Are Labor Law Posters?
Labor law posters are legally mandated notices required by individual federal, state, and local employment laws. These laws require all employers to display applicable notices in workplaces where employees perform work and, where applicable, to make them available to remote or hybrid employees based on their work location.
There is no single “labor law poster” statute. Instead, most employment laws include a workplace posting requirement as the mechanism used to ensure employers communicate their obligations and employees are informed of their rights under that specific law. Each required notice corresponds directly to a particular statute or regulation—such as minimum wage, paid leave, workplace safety, anti-discrimination, family and medical leave, or workers’ compensation—and must be displayed in the manner and locations prescribed by that law.
“All-in-one” labor law posters conveniently combine mandatory notices that apply to most businesses. However, additional notices are often required depending on the city or county, company size, and industry. For example, employers in New York City must post five additional notices. Retail employers must post one more, and restaurants are subject to three additional postings.
What Does It Mean to Be “Compliant”?
Being compliant does not simply mean having a poster on the wall. True labor law posting compliance means all required notices are displayed, postings reflect the most current laws, updates are made promptly when laws change, and remote employees have access to postings applicable to their actual work location.
The Consequences of Getting It Wrong
Failure to comply with posting requirements can result in significant penalties, with fines in some jurisdictions exceeding $40,000 per worksite. But the risk does not end with civil penalties. Labor law posters are often among the first items reviewed during labor law–related complaints, audits, or legal disputes.
When posting requirements are met correctly and kept current, they can serve as an important first line of defense, demonstrating good-faith compliance and timely notice to employees. When postings are missing, outdated, or incorrect, the opposite occurs. Posting failures can work against the employer by extending statutes of limitations, increasing the likelihood of adverse findings, and escalating financial exposure in disputes involving wages, leave, discrimination, or other employment-related claims.
How to Stay Compliant Year-Round
Even when employers make a good-faith effort to stay current, posting compliance is often treated as an annual checklist item. Posting updates in January alone, however, are not sufficient. Because labor laws change continuously across hundreds of federal, state, and local agencies, employers are better served by using a reliable, ongoing compliance service rather than attempting to track and manage requirements internally.
This is especially true for employers operating across multiple locations, jurisdictions, or states, where local requirements can vary significantly—even within the same metropolitan area.
Employers Turn to Their HR, HCM, Payroll, and WFM Providers For Help
Where should employers turn for help? While there are many vendors selling posters and poster services, determining which providers are reputable and reliable can be difficult. Most employers also prefer not to add yet another standalone vendor they need to track, pay, and manage.
As a result, more than 60% of employers already rely on their trusted HR and workplace software or service provider for labor law poster compliance services. When delivered through an existing provider relationship, posting compliance becomes proactive rather than reactive, consistent across locations, easier to administer, and more comprehensive. Ongoing services that never lapse—combined with convenient, integrated billing—further reduce administrative burden.
How PosterElite Helps HR, HCM, Payroll, and WFM Providers Deliver Results
PosterElite enables these providers to respond to employer demand for additional compliance services from a trusted source. By partnering with PosterElite, providers deliver labor law posting compliance with the accuracy, reliability, and convenience their clients expect—helping protect employers while also driving higher client retention and new sources of recurring revenue.
PosterElite’s proven approach–designed specifically for partnerships–has helped hundreds of leading providers quickly deploy this essential compliance service with minimal initial lift or ongoing administration.
Contact us today to learn how PosterElite can help you meet your clients’ compliance needs, increase client retention, and grow your business.