In the wake of the #MeToo movement, New York State and New York City governments have passed new laws aimed at sexual harassment prevention. Businesses with operations in New York State and/or New York City must comply with these new laws.
New York City: Effective September 6, 2018, all employers in New York City must post an anti-sexual harassment rights and responsibilities poster and provide an information sheet on sexual harassment to each employee at the time of hire – both of which are available on the New York City Commission on Human Right’s website. The links to the poster and information sheet are below. The poster must be at least 8.5” x 14” (legal size) and posted in both English and Spanish.
Please see the following links for additional information:
New York State: Effective October 9, 2018, all employers in New York State must provide employees with a written non-harassment policy and provide sexual harassment training annually to all employees beginning in January 1, 2019. The State Department of Labor, in consultation with the State Division of Human Rights, recently released the attached draft materials, which include a model policy, a model complaint form, a model training program, and an FAQ (which also addresses this area of the law in the context of mandatory arbitration and nondisclosure agreements). Stay tuned for updates once the State Department of Labor finalizes the draft complaint form, training program, and FAQs.
Please see the following links for more information:
- Models – https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/employers
- FAQ – https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/combating-sexual-harassment-frequently-asked-questions#for-employers
- Comments – https://www.ny.gov/content/sexual-harassment-prevention-policies
For more information on the anti-sexual harassment legislation recently passed in New York City and New York State, please see the following two DLA Employment Alerts:
Evan Parness represents employers and senior executives in all aspects of employment-related litigation before federal and state courts, administrative agencies and alternative dispute resolution bodies.
