Getting into Compliance with New York State’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Laws

New York State’s anti-sexual harassment laws require employers to update or create an anti-sexual harassment policy and employee training. Even existing policies and trainings likely need to be revised since the new law creates specific requirements that may not be in the current policies and trainings, including:

• specifying how complaints will be handled;
• encouraging employees to submit complaints;
• giving examples of what constitutes harassment.

Employers who do not currently have anti-sexual harassment policies or trainings need to implement them.

 At the end of August 2018, New York State released a number of documents on its new anti-sexual harassment website. These documents exist to help employers get into compliance with the new laws, and include:

• a draft sexual harassment prevention policy;
• draft complaint forms, and;
• a draft anti-harassment training.  

Although these model documents are still in draft form, employers must start to adapt and implement them, shortly. Anti-sexual harassment policies should be circulated to employees by October 9, 2018, and employees must be trained before January 1, 2019, and within 30 days of being hired.

Contact Us to get into compliance