On October 20, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new mandatory poster that must be placed in a conspicuous location in the workplace where notices to applicants and employees are customarily posted. Here are the highlights of the new poster and its requirements:

• The substance of the new nondiscrimination poster outlines who is protected under current federal law, what those covered individuals are protected against, and what to do if the covered individual believes they have been discriminated or retaliated against.
• In addition to physically posting this notice, employers are encouraged to post the notice digitally on their websites. In most cases, electronic posting on an employer’s website for applicants or through the employer’s online human resources management tool actually supplements the physical posting requirement. This could be the case where an employer has a completely remote workforce and no physical location.
• It must be accessible to applicants and employees with disabilities in a way that truly makes it accessible depending on the employee’s or applicant’s disability.
• There is a special requirement for employers that hold federal contracts or subcontracts to post the second page as well as the first.
• The EEOC has also provided a user-friendly QR code that brings employees and applicants to the EEOC’s “How to File a Charge of Employment Discrimination” homepage.
• The fine for not posting this new poster is $612 per violation.

Employers should replace their existing EEOC poster with the new version. If you have any questions about discrimination training in your workplace, obligations related to this or other posting requirements, or other inquiries related to your business’s employment law needs, please contact your Parker Poe attorney.