Federal Labor Laws You May Need to Comply With
Compliance | Feb 12, 2019
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Your company’s growth can lead to exciting opportunities while introducing new challenges as well.
As you add additional employees and expand to new locations, you may need to build out your company’s HR stack to address new workforce demands. In addition, your company’s growth could introduce you to new compliance requirements. There are federal labor laws that only impact your company once it reaches a certain size as determined by the number of employees.
Here is a quick summary of federal labor laws that apply to companies with a certain number of employees:
15 Employees
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The ADA provides protection to individuals by making it unlawful for an employer to discriminate in employment against a person with a disability. Learn more.
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
GINA makes it unlawful for employers to use genetic information when making decisions regarding an employment opportunity. In addition, the act also limits employers from acquiring and disclosing genetic information about both applicants and employees. Learn more.
Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA)
The PDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against an applicant or an employee due to pregnancy. This includes treating a woman unfairly because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. Learn more.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
This federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. Learn more.
20 Employees
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
The ADEA protects certain applicants and employees 40 years of age and older from discrimination based on their age as it relates to hiring, promotion, compensation, termination, and other terms or conditions of employment. Learn more.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
Employers must offer the option to continue coverage for employees and their families when coverage would otherwise be lost as a result of a qualifying event. Coverage must extend for 18-36 months, depending on the type of event. Learn more.
50 Employees
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The FMLA provides certain employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Group health benefits must be maintained during this leave. This act applies to companies with 50 employees within 75 miles of a work’s location. Learn more.
Affordable Care Act (ACA)
Companies at this size qualify as an Applicable Large Employer (ALE) and must offer affordable health insurance options as defined by law and must follow strict record keeping requirements. This aspect of the ACA applies to companies with 50 full-time equivalent employees. Learn more.
100 Employees
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)
WARN requires employers to notify employees at least 60 days in advance of any workplace closings or mass layoffs. Learn more.
EEO-1 Reporting
Employers must report workforce data categorized by gender, race/ethnicity, and job category. Learn more.
Disclaimer: The above is simply a brief summary of federal labor laws that your company may need to comply with as it adds new employees. It is important to reference any local and state laws that may apply to your company as well. These laws may supplement or even contradict the above federal labor laws; this could include lowering the employee count threshold for certain regulations to apply.
