The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released a new workplace poster titled “Know Your Rights,” which replaces the former “EEO is the Law” poster. Covered employers are required to hang these posters in the workplace.
The “Know Your Rights” poster has some notable changes to the prior poster. According to EEOC Chair, Charlotte A. Burrows, the new poster uses “plain language and bullet points,” and explains an employer’s legal responsibilities and an employee’s rights more easily than the prior poster. The new poster also includes a QR code for employees to link directly to the EEOC’s webpage on how to file a discrimination charge. The “Know Your Rights” poster further provides that harassment is a prohibited form of discrimination and clarifies that sex discrimination includes discrimination based on pregnancy, sexual orientation and sexual identity.
Although the EEOC has not yet announced a deadline to put up this updated poster, covered employers should post it sooner rather than later because they could be fined for noncompliance. According to EEOC guidance, the new poster “should be placed in a conspicuous location in the workplace where notices to applicants and employees are customarily posted.”
Additionally, the EEOC advises employers to post digital notices to a conspicuous location on their website. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), employers are required to place such posters in a location accessible to applicants and employees with disabilities who have limited mobility. Any employer can download the digital version on the EEOC’s website and can be accessed here. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available in both English and Spanish.
If you would like more information or to discuss these issues further, please contact a member of Gould & Ratner’s Human Resources and Employment Law Practice.
