How to Maintain Posters During Office Renovations

Office renovations are an exciting time for any business. Fresh spaces, new layouts, and upgraded designs promise a better experience for both employees and clients. But amid the dust, drills, and redesigns, there’s one critical detail that often gets overlooked: your labor law posters.

When you’re moving walls, replacing notice boards, or temporarily relocating departments, maintaining visible and compliant labor law posters can easily slip through the cracks. Yet, failing to keep them properly displayed—even for a short period—can expose your business to compliance risks, potential fines, and unnecessary confusion among employees.

This guide will help you maintain compliance with labor law poster requirements during office renovations, ensure employees have uninterrupted access to required postings, and make the transition smooth from the first hammer swing to the final touch of paint.

Why Labor Law Posters Still Matter During Renovations

Federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, require all employers to display specific labor law posters where employees can easily see and read them. These posters cover vital topics such as:

• Wage and hour laws
• Employee rights under OSHA, FMLA, and EEOC regulations
• Minimum wage changes
• Workers’ compensation
• Safety and anti-discrimination policies

Renovations don’t pause your legal obligations. Even if walls are being repainted or your office is temporarily relocated, those rights still need to be posted clearly and accessibly.

In our recent blog, The Future of Poster Enforcement in a Digital Workplace, we discussed how compliance standards are evolving as workplaces go digital. However, even in tech-forward environments, physical labor law posters remain a non-negotiable legal requirement for many industries.

That means renovation time is not a compliance loophole—it’s a test of how well your business manages its responsibilities under changing conditions.

Step 1: Start with a Compliance Assessment Before Renovations Begin

Before a single contractor steps into your office, take stock of your compliance setup. Conduct a labor law poster audit:

1. Check for outdated posters. Are your state and federal postings up to date?
2. List every location where posters are currently displayed.
3. Determine temporary workspace areas—where will employees work during renovations?

If you haven’t updated your posters in a while, this is the perfect opportunity to refresh them. You can find fully compliant, ready-to-display posters for all U.S. states and industries on our Labor Law Posters collection page.

By ensuring your posters are current and complete before construction begins, you’ll avoid compliance issues when your workspace is disrupted.

Step 2: Plan for Temporary Posting Locations

When walls are being rebuilt or sections of the office are closed off, it’s your responsibility to ensure that employees can still see and read the required postings.

Here’s how you can maintain compliance during relocation or restricted access:

• Identify temporary work zones. If employees are working in a conference room, warehouse corner, or even remotely, ensure posters are visible there.
• Use mobile poster stands. Freestanding display boards or poster easels can serve as short-term compliance stations.
• Provide digital copies. For remote or hybrid teams, email or post digital versions on the company intranet to ensure accessibility.

This approach ensures compliance even if your physical notice boards are temporarily removed or relocated.

For more on how poster requirements are adapting to flexible workspaces, explore OSHA Safety Posters vs. Labor Law Posters: What’s the Difference? — a detailed look at how these two essential poster types complement each other in today’s workplaces.

Step 3: Protect Posters from Damage During Construction

Construction zones are messy. Posters can easily be torn, stained, or removed accidentally during wall work, painting, or dust-heavy renovations.

Here are best practices to protect them:

• Laminated Posters: Use laminated labor law posters to resist dust and debris.
• Protective Covers: Place posters inside clear acrylic covers to shield from paint and dirt.
• Relocate Before Painting: Always remove posters from areas being repainted and reinstall them immediately after drying.
• Avoid Folding: Store temporarily removed posters flat to prevent creases that obscure readability.

The cost of replacing damaged posters is minimal compared to the cost of non-compliance fines, which can reach thousands of dollars depending on the violation and jurisdiction.

Step 4: Coordinate with Contractors and Staff

Communication is critical. Your renovation team and employees need to understand the importance of maintaining compliance visibility.

• Brief contractors on which posters must remain accessible.
• Assign a compliance monitor—a staff member responsible for ensuring posters are not misplaced or damaged during renovations.
• Label display zones clearly so everyone knows where the posters should go back once the renovation is complete.

Think of it like a moving checklist—but for compliance. Every time a wall goes up, a poster should go back on it.

Step 5: Reinstall and Reassess Post-Renovation

Once your renovation wraps up, don’t just hang posters randomly on the new walls. This is your chance to strategically choose better locations for maximum visibility.

Best placement practices include:

• Break rooms – the most frequented employee area.
• Main hallways or near time clocks.
• Entrances or exits employees use daily.
• Shared digital display boards (if hybrid compliance is allowed by your state).

After installation, perform a post-renovation compliance check to verify that:

• All required posters are visible and legible.
• The most current versions (state, federal, and OSHA) are displayed.
• No essential information has been obscured or damaged.

The Risk of Ignoring Poster Compliance During Renovations

Some businesses mistakenly assume that a short renovation window—two or three weeks—means they can skip poster display temporarily. But regulatory agencies don’t make exceptions for “under construction” signs.

Failing to maintain accessible labor law posters during renovations can result in:

1. Hefty fines and penalties from the Department of Labor or OSHA.
2. Employee complaints if they can’t access information about their rights.
3. Compliance audit failures, especially for businesses in highly regulated sectors.

Maintaining poster visibility isn’t just about avoiding fines—it’s about maintaining trust and transparency within your workforce.

Why Digital-Physical Hybrid Solutions Are the Future

As workplace setups evolve, so do compliance tools. Many employers are now combining physical labor law posters with digital accessibility options to ensure no one misses essential updates.

In The Future of Poster Enforcement in a Digital Workplace, we explored how technology complements traditional posters rather than replacing them. This hybrid approach is especially beneficial during renovations when physical access may be temporarily restricted.

Still, remember—digital access alone does not satisfy all compliance laws. You must maintain at least one set of physical posters wherever employees report to work.

If you’re considering an update, you can find state-specific labor law posters that meet both federal and OSHA requirements on our Labor Law Posters page.

Step 6: Update Posters if Any Law Changes During Renovation

Renovations can last weeks or even months. During that time, federal or state laws may be updated. For example, new minimum wage rates or OSHA rule changes might require updated postings.

To stay ahead:

• Subscribe to labor law update alerts.
• Check compliance resources regularly during renovation phases.
• Replace outdated posters immediately upon law updates.

This proactive approach ensures you’re audit-ready the moment your new workspace opens.

Step 7: Include Posters in Your Renovation Plan

Most businesses create detailed renovation blueprints but forget to include compliance signage in the plan. Incorporate poster locations into your interior design and compliance documentation.

• Design dedicated compliance corners or notice walls.
• Use magnetic frames or sleek display boards to keep your posters professional-looking.
• Coordinate with your compliance officer or HR to approve final locations before reopening.

Making poster placement a permanent part of your renovation blueprint ensures you’ll never scramble to “find a place” for them afterward.

Step 8: Keep Extra Sets of Posters On Hand

Renovations can be unpredictable. Posters might get misplaced, damaged, or removed by contractors without notice. Always keep backup copies of required labor law posters.

You can order extra sets or even industry-specific bundles from State Labor Poster’s Labor Law Posters collection. Keeping spares helps you replace damaged or lost posters instantly—maintaining continuous compliance without interruption.

A Smart Investment in Compliance

Maintaining posters during office renovations isn’t just a formality—it’s a commitment to legal compliance, employee trust, and workplace transparency.

The investment in proper poster maintenance and updates is minimal compared to the reputational and financial damage of non-compliance.

By following these steps—auditing before renovations, planning temporary posting areas, protecting posters during construction, and reinstalling strategically afterward—you’ll ensure your business remains compliant every step of the way.