Is your company covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADA or GINA? If so, you need to know what the feds just did.
The EEOC has announced the penalty for violating the notice-posting (a.k.a., “poster”) requirements under those three laws will more than double.
Here’s what you need to know:
- What will the new fine be? The maximum penalty for violating a posting requirement will now be $525 — up from $210.
- When will it take effect? The new penalty kicks in July 5, 2016.
- Why is the fine increasing? The EEOC said, in its announcement, “The purpose of the adjustment is to maintain the remedial impact of civil monetary penalties and promote compliance with the law.” But, more specifically, it’s the result of requirements handed down from the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.
- What are the “poster” requirements? Employers are required to post notices describing the federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, equal pay, disability and genetic information (see the EEOC). The posters must be placed in a conspicuous location in the workplace where notices to applicants and employees are customarily posted. In addition, employers are encouraged to post digital versions of these notices on their internal websites. And, under the ADA, notices of federal laws prohibiting discrimination must be placed in a location that’s accessible to the disabled.
The EEOC has adjusted the rule for inflation before — once in 1997 (when it went from $100 to $110) and again in 2014 (when it went from $110 to $210).
