The New York City Commission of Human Rights issued a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) last week detailing guidance on employers’ obligations under the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act, legislation which was signed into law this year.
The Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to conduct annual sexual harassment training, effective in April 2019. The FAQs provide a detailed identification of employees who must receive harassment prevention training under the Act. Similar legislation has taken place across the U.S. throughout the year, inspired by the cultural #MeToo movement. While laws vary from state to state, the FAQs serve as an interesting guideline to the potential of future legislation in your neighborhood.
The New York State Division on Human Rights is developing an online training program that employers may use to comply with the requirements of the new law. In what is likely to be a relief for employers, the Commission disclosed in the FAQs that it is creating a training module that satisfies the requirements of both the State and City laws. The Commission is expected to make the training module available in April 2019.
The FAQs also provide details about a fact sheet that employers must distribute to new employees at the time of hire. The FAQs state the fact sheet can be distributed “on or about the employee’s first few days of work, but no later than the end of the employee’s first week of work.”
Finally, the FAQs reinforce that every employer in New York City must post the City’s notice of employee rights in the workplace in both English and Spanish, regardless of the workforce demographics. The City has also created translations in nine additional languages, which should be used to the extent applicable to the employer’s workforce.
You can read the FAQs here.