By: Melissa C. Angeline
On November 7, 2011, the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOL) released a new 6-page workplace notice for all New Jersey employers. The Employer Obligation to Maintain and Report Records Regarding Wages, Benefits, Taxes and Other Contributions and Assessments Pursuant to State Wage, Benefit and Tax Laws, contains a detailed description of employer recordkeeping requirements under state employment laws and provides contact information for employees or their representatives to report potential violations.
Importantly, the notice went into effect immediately for all new hires. The DOL requires that anyone hired on or after November 7, 2011 receive a copy of the notice “at the time of hire.” Thus, New Jersey employers should distribute copies of the notice to anyone hired on or after November 7, 2011.
As for existing employees, the DOL has established a December 7, 2011 deadline for distributing copies of the notice, either in hard copy or by e-mail, and for posting the notice. Employers must post the notice in hard copy at a conspicuous location in the workplace, and must post the notice electronically on any intranet or internet systems to which all employees have exclusive access.
Employers that typically buy pre-packaged posters covering various federal and state employment laws should contact their vendor immediately to obtain posters updated as of November 7, 2011. In the meantime, employers can download the 6-page notice from the DOL’s internet site and post it alongside their other mandatory notices.
Melissa C. Angeline is senior counsel in the Labor & Employment Group of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman PC. She concentrates her practice on representing and counseling employers in all aspects of employment law.