In April of this year the state of New York enacted comprehensive legislation aimed at combating workplace sexual harassment. Included within the new law are provisions that require covered employers in the state to adopt a written sexual harassment policy and provide annual harassment training to all employees, with an effective date of October 9, 2018.
Under the law, the New York Department of Labor was tasked with providing a model harassment policy and model training that could be used by covered employers.
On August 23, 2018, to provide stakeholders with more information on the new law, the state launched a new website on Combating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace. The landing page contains a link to a portal for employers, which includes a draft model sexual harassment policy, a model harassment training course, a model harassment complaint form, and a set of FAQs. Comments on these draft documents must be submitted by way of an online form available on the website by September 12, 2018.
Once the draft documents are adopted, employers will be able to use them to satisfy their obligations under the new law. Whether using the model policy or a compliant version of their own, New York employers will be required as of October 9, 2018, to post their harassment policy “prominently in all work locations” and provide it to employees “upon hiring.” In addition, the first round of required annual training must be completed by January 1, 2019.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.