The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued a new worksite poster communicating to workers civil rights recourses available to them under federal law
Now called the “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster, it was previously titled “EEO Is the Law” and is one of many such posters required by federal, state and sometimes municipal governments to be posted in breakrooms and other locations where employees gather and are able to read them.
The new version of the poster shares information about discrimination based on race, color, sex, age (40 and older), equal pay, disability and genetic information (including family medical history and genetic tests or services).
It also addresses the issue of retaliation for filing a charge, reasonably opposing discrimination, and how to participate in a discrimination lawsuit, investigation or proceeding.
The commission’s latest innovation incorporated into the poster’s design is a QR code that allows employees to download onto their smart phones information and forms that allow them to file discrimination complaints with the agency.
In addition to physically posting this information, employers covered by federal civil rights laws are encouraged by the commission to post the notice digitally on their websites in a conspicuous location.
Failure to comply with the EEOC’s posting requirement can result in financial penalties (currently a maximum of $612 and adjusted upward annually). Not doing so also could compromise an employer’s defenses to an EEOC claim
The poster is available on the agency’s website.