Have You Checked Your Bulletin Boards Lately?

State and federal laws require that employers post certain notices for their employees. Many employers find that the most convenient way to meet this requirement is through a bulletin board in the employee break room or other room where the employees would see the notice. The federal government added a new poster this year explaining military leave rights, so now is a good time to make sure that your bulletin boards are current. All of the posters are available at no charge, and most of them may be downloaded from the websites listed below. Also, posters often are available in multiple languages.

Postings required by New Hampshire laws

There are six posters required by various New Hampshire laws. The New Hampshire Department of Labor has links to many of the required posters at: http://labor.state.nh.us/mandatory_posters.asp. The direct sites to the posters also has been listed below.

1. Equal Employment Opportunity – to obtain this form, call the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights at (603) 271-2767. Currently, you can press “6” to leave a message with your name and address to have a poster mailed to you. This posting applies to employers with 6 or more employees

2. Worker’s Compensation – if you do not have a copy of this poster, you should request one from your worker’s compensation insurance carrier.

3. Protective Legislation - http://labor.state.nh.us/ProtectiveLegislation.pdf

4. Minimum Wage - http://labor.state.nh.us/INS-Poster-NHMinimumWageLaw.pdf

5. Whistleblowers’ Protection Act - http://labor.state.nh.us/INS-Poster-Whistleblowers.pdf

6. Unemployment Notice - http://www.nhes.state.nh.us/uc/uinotice.pdf

Postings required by federal laws

The United States Department of Labor now requires employers to provide employees with notice of their right to military leave under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (“USERRA”). The federal regulation allows employers to provide the notice where employees are customarily placed or by handing, mailing, or emailing the notice to employees. Most employers will find that posting a notice on a bulletin board will be the most convenient way to provide the information to employees.

There are now six postings required by various federal laws:

1. Military Leave - http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/USERRA_Private.pdf

2. Minimum Wage - http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/flsa.htm

3. Family and Medical Leave Act (for employers of 50 or more employees) - http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/fmla.htm

4. Employee Polygraph Protection - http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/posters/eppa.htm

5. OSHA Job Safety – http://osha.gov/pls/publications/pubindex.list#3165 (you will need to order the form, but it is free to download; the form is #3165: “Job Safety & Health Protection Poster”)

6. Equal Employment Opportunity – this poster is required for employers with 15 or more employees. Go to: http://eeoc.gov/posterform.html (you will need to order the form, and it will be mailed to you)

These are the posters that generally apply to most businesses. Keep in mind that other posters may be required by state and federal laws depending upon the nature of your business. For example, certain employers accepting government contract work must post additional notices.

Contact Meredith P. Cook (603-629-4511) or any member of the Wiggin & Nourie Real Estate Group if you have questions about these and other real estate questions.

The primary purpose of this newsletter is to provide current information on business and legal developments. However, it may be deemed advertising or a solicitation under applicable law or ethical guidelines.