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New Rhode Island Law Brings Significant Changes To Employers’ Onboarding Processes

4 minutes

Rhode Island continues to take steps to increase wage transparency for employees.  Effective January 1, 2026, every Rhode Island employer, regardless of the number of employees, must provide a written notice containing a significant amount of information related to an employee’s terms and conditions of employment. Employers must provide this information to all new employees “at the start” of employment.

With the effective date quickly approaching, employers should now review their existing onboarding procedures and documentation to ensure compliance with the amendments to Rhode Island’s employment records law (R.I. Gen. Laws, § 28-14-12).

Statutory Requirements

Specifically, as of January 1, 2026, employers must provide employees with all of the following:

  • The employee’s rate of pay, including whether the employee is to be paid by the hour, the shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or other method
    • If employers pay employees different rates for unique functions, all rates and frequency of pay must be provided to the employee
  • Allowances (if any) claimed pursuant to permitted meals and lodging
  • Company policies concerning sick leave, vacation, personal leave, holidays, and work hours
  • The employee’s employment status and whether the employee is exempt from minimum wage and/or overtime
  • List of deductions that may be made from the employee’s pay
  • The number of days in a pay period
  • The regularly scheduled pay day
  • The payday on which the employee will receive the first payment of wages earned
  • The legal name of the employer
    • If the employer operates under a different name (d/b/a), then that name must also be expressly provided
  • Physical address of the employer’s main office or principal place of business
    • If the employer has a different mailing address, then that address must also be provided
  • Telephone number of the employer

Notice Requirements, Acknowledgment, and Violations

Although most employers likely have each item readily available on its own, the information may not be consolidated into one package. Moving forward, employers must have the information in one, written form and prepared for employees “at the start” of their employment.  Providing the information separately to employees will not only be difficult to manage but will also likely violate the law. Notably, the law does not define “at the start.”  Given this uncertainty, employers should be prepared to provide this information as part of the offer process (e.g., an appendix to the offer letter that an employee can sign), prior to an employee’s first day of work, or on the first day of work during onboarding.

The law does not provide employers with any guidance regarding the form of the notice – requiring only that employers provide a written notice in English.  Regardless of the form employers choose, they must obtain written acknowledgment from employees that they received this notice. Employers should maintain each employee’s acknowledgment as part of that employee’s personnel file.

Employers should use the statute as a checklist as they prepare their written notices.  Each item, above, must be included. Failure to provide any piece of information could violate the law. Employers are subject to a fine of $400 for the first or second violation. Subsequent violations could result in the employer being found guilty of a misdemeanor and additional fines.

Next Steps

The amended law should not require employers to develop new policies, but compliance will require careful examination of onboarding documents and processes.  To this end, employers should:

  • Understand that this law applies to all new employees (full-time, part-time, seasonal, temporary);
  • Determine when they intend to provide this information to new employees – ensuring compliance with the “at the start” requirement;
  • Identify the most efficient way to deliver the written notice in a comprehensive package for the new employee;
  • Review and update sick leave, vacation, holiday, personal leave, and work hour policies to ensure they are ready for distribution to new employees;
  • Draft an acknowledgement form for employees to execute and to confirm their receipt of the required information;
  • Train human resources employees and/or all other employees involved in the onboarding process about the requirements set forth in the amendment;
  • Consider providing the required information to existing employees who may request it. The purpose of the amendment is to provide employees with more transparency into their wages and employer expectations.  Therefore, it is not hard to imagine existing employees requesting access to similar information once they understand the rights provided to new employees.

Cole Law Partners Can Help

Employers should not view their obligations under the amended law in isolation. Cole Law Partners’ employment lawyers understand Rhode Island’s employment records law and the steps necessary to maintain compliance. Employers with questions or concerns should contact us, and we will collaborate to identify risks in the employers’