Back on Oct. 9, 2018, New York became the fourth state to pass legislation to insist that all employers provide their employees with mandatory sexual harassment prevention training. State legislators decided to give employers a year to train their staff, but New York City (NYC) officials have since passed additional legislation that will go into effect this April. These requirements will largely be the same.

Documented policies

By the time each of these pieces of legislation goes into effect, every employer in both NYC and the state as a whole are expected to have documented sexual harassment policies with which their employees will need to be familiar.

The information that should be made readily accessible to them includes an outline or both federal and state sexual harassment laws.

Each employee should be provided with a standard complaint form that they should file in case they’re treated inappropriately and receive a copy of the written policy outlining how allegations will be investigated and how long to expect that process to take.

They are also supposed to be provided with information about what’s considered as retaliation and what to do if they’re subjected to it for reporting the harassment that they endured.

Mandatory training

Employers will be required by both the city and state to provide all employees with harassment prevention training.

Training must clearly define what sexual harassment is and provide examples. Employees should also be trained as to what federal and state sexual harassment laws are, what a victim’s rights are and detail an employer’s obligation to perform a timely and thorough investigation. Employers in NYC are additionally obliged to provide their employees with bystander intervention training.

There are many types of sexual harassment. All of them can leave a lasting impression on a victim that can affect their ability to perform their job or to live a comfortable life. A sexual harassment attorney can make sure that you know your rights and legal remedies available to you. Please explore our site for more information.