If you employ workers in Hawaii, you need to display a set of Hawaii labor law posters covering both state and federal notices. The state’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) offers a free combined poster that handles most Hawaii requirements in one document, and the U.S. Department of Labor publishes the federal posters at no cost. Getting them up is the easy part. Keeping them current, and placing them correctly, is where most employers slip.
The State’s Free All-in-One Poster
The DLIR publishes a single combined labor law poster that covers Hawaii’s major mandated notices. You can download it directly from the DLIR’s labor law poster page at no charge.1Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Labor Law Poster It includes:
- Wage and hour law, including the current minimum wage. As of January 1, 2026, Hawaii’s minimum wage is $16.00 per hour.2State of Hawaii. Minimum Wage and Overtime – Wage Standards Division
- Workers’ compensation, temporary disability insurance, and prepaid health care.
- Occupational safety and health, including the right to a safe workplace and to request an inspection.
- Employment discrimination protections, which in Hawaii cover race, sex (including gender identity or expression), sexual orientation, age, religion, color, ancestry, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, reproductive health decisions, and domestic or sexual violence victim status.3Justia. Hawaii Code 378-2 – Discriminatory Practices Made Unlawful
- Whistleblower protection for reporting suspected legal violations.
- Unemployment insurance filing information.
- Dislocated workers and plant closing notice rules, which require covered employers to give at least 60 days’ written notice before a closing or relocation.4Justia. Hawaii Code 394B-9 – Notification Penalty
Print it, put it up, and take down any older versions. The DLIR updates sections as laws change, so check the page periodically to confirm you have the latest release.
State Notices Not on the Combined Poster
The all-in-one poster doesn’t cover every state posting obligation. Two extra notices come up often.
Human Trafficking Awareness
Under HRS ยง371-20, certain businesses must post a notice at least 8.5 by 11 inches with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline. It applies to holders of a Class 5 or Class 11 liquor license, massage therapy establishments with five or more employees, and employers of erotic or nude dancers or massagers. The poster must be in English and placed where employees can readily access it. Knowingly failing to post it carries fines of up to $100 for each day the violation continues.
Prevailing Wage for Public Works
Contractors on state or county construction projects over $2,000 must pay prevailing wages and post the Chapter 104 notice at the job site, along with the applicable wage rate schedules. The DLIR offers a downloadable version on its prevailing wages page.5State of Hawaii. Prevailing Wages on Public Works
Federal Posters You Also Need
Federal law layers its own posters on top of Hawaii’s. You need both sets. All of these are free from the U.S. Department of Labor’s workplace posters page.6U.S. Department of Labor. Workplace Posters
- Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage notice. Required for essentially all private employers and for federal, state, and local government employers.7U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Minimum Wage Poster
- The EEOC’s “Know Your Rights” poster, covering Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and GINA. It must go in a location accessible to applicants and employees with disabilities.8U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal Poster
- The Family and Medical Leave Act poster, for employers with 50 or more employees during 20 or more workweeks in the current or preceding year. Covered employers must post at every location, including those with no currently eligible employees.9U.S. Department of Labor. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster
- USERRA, explaining reemployment rights for employees who leave civilian jobs for military service.10U.S. Department of Labor. Your Rights Under USERRA Poster
- The Employee Polygraph Protection Act notice, required for most private employers.11U.S. Department of Labor. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster
Hawaii operates its own OSHA-approved plan through HIOSH, so the state occupational safety and health notice included in the DLIR’s combined poster substitutes for the federal OSHA “Job Safety and Health” poster.12Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Job Safety and Health Workplace Poster
Federal Contractors Have More
If your business holds federal contracts or subcontracts, add two more. Executive Order 13496 requires a notice of employee rights under the National Labor Relations Act at every location where employees perform contract-related work, and contractors must flow the same requirement down to subcontractors. Noncompliance can lead to contract suspension or cancellation and debarment from future federal work.13U.S. Department of Labor. Executive Order 13496: Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws Federal contractors enrolled in E-Verify must also post the E-Verify participation poster and the “Right to Work” poster in both English and Spanish, and provide them with job application materials.
Where to Put Them
Every required poster must be in a conspicuous location where employees regularly pass through or gather during the workday. Break rooms, employee kitchens, and areas near time clocks are common choices. If workers don’t report to a single central location, post the notices at each site where they actually spend time.14State of Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Handbook for Employers – Unemployment Insurance
Auditors look for a few basics: posters must be unobstructed, clean, and readable. If one gets torn, faded, or damaged, replace it. The OSHA poster has a specific minimum size of 8.5 by 14 inches with 10-point type, so plain letter paper won’t do.15U.S. Department of Labor. Posters – Frequently Asked Questions
Remote and Hybrid Workers
Electronic posting alone isn’t enough where physical posting is otherwise required. The U.S. Department of Labor has stated that posting on an employer’s website “is not a substitute for posting these EEO posters in conspicuous places on the employer’s premises where otherwise required.”15U.S. Department of Labor. Posters – Frequently Asked Questions For employees who never come to a physical workplace, providing electronic access through an intranet or email is a reasonable supplement. For a hybrid workforce, keep physical posters at every office and give remote employees digital copies or intranet links.
Keeping Them Current
Outdated posters are one of the most common compliance failures, and it’s usually accidental. An employer puts the right posters up once and then forgets about them for years, and older versions fall out of date as minimum wage rates change, protected classes are added, or federal agencies redesign their notices.
Check the revision date printed on each poster against the version on the issuing agency’s website at least once a year. The DLIR updates sections of the all-in-one poster as laws change, and federal updates appear on the DOL’s workplace posters page.
Some employers use commercial subscription services that ship updated posters automatically. They typically run $30 to $70 per year and are entirely optional. Every required poster is available for free from the government agency that issues it.
Penalties for Missing or Outdated Posters
Penalty amounts depend on which poster is missing and which agency enforces it. Hawaii’s HIOSH program can assess up to $7,700 for a posting violation, with a minimum penalty of $250 if the employer was previously provided a poster by HIOSH. Willful or repeated violations of any HIOSH standard can reach $77,000 per violation.16Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health. Chapter 6 – Penalties and Debt Collection The human trafficking awareness poster carries a penalty of up to $100 per day the violation continues.
On the federal side, missing posters can trigger citations during a DOL investigation or EEOC audit. Most agencies treat a first-time posting violation as an educational moment rather than a punishment, but that goodwill disappears if the same employer gets flagged twice. The bigger risk is downstream. A missing poster can weaken an employer’s defense in a wage claim or discrimination complaint, because it undercuts any argument that the employee knew their rights.