Sexual Harassment Update
Earlier this year, the New York City Council proposed mandatory sexual harassment training for employers. Trainings will be mandatory starting October 9th , 2018. Over the past month, the state of New York provided:
A standard sexual harassment policy, and
A model Sexual Harassment training.
All employers must adopt or develop a policy and training that meet or exceeds the law’s minimum standards.
Key things to know:
Policy Review:
A sexual harassment policy should:
Prohibit sexual harassment; clearly stating, that as a form of misconduct, individuals engaging in sexual harassment will be sanctioned along with supervisors & managers who knowingly allow said behavior to continue.
Express that retaliation against individuals who complain of sexual harassment or who are involved as part of the investigation is unlawful.
Provide examples of prohibited conduct that would constitute unlawful sexual harassment. Include:
§ more information about applicable local laws, remedies available to victims of sexual
harassment, and federal and state provisions,
§ a complaint form, and
§ a procedure for investigating complaints in a timely and confidential manner.
Training Requirements:
All employees must complete sexual harassment prevention training before January 1, 2019, and complete additional training at least once a year.
All new employees must complete sexual harassment prevention training within 30 calendar days of their start date.
All employers must keep a record of all trainings, including a signed employee acknowledgement.
For more information, please refer to: https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/employers