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<div class="gmail-left_content_article gmail-left_content"><h1>New York State’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Requirements Now In Effect: What Employers Should Know</h1>
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<div class="gmail-views-field gmail-views-field-created"> <span class="gmail-field-content">Monday, October 15, 2018</span> </div> </div>
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</div><p class="gmail-rtejustify">In the wake of the #MeToo Movement, New York
enacted legislation that is specifically targeted to sexual harassment
in the workplace. On October 1, 2018, New York released final guidance
materials regarding the legislation, including a model policy and a list
of Frequently Asked Questions, which can be located <a href="https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/employers">here</a>. </p>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">All New York employers must have updated anti-sexual harassment policies in place by <strong>October 9, 2018</strong>.
All employers must distribute to all New York employees a sexual
harassment prevention policy and complaint form that employees can use
to report sexual harassment, which New York has made available online <a href="https://www.ny.gov/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace/employers">here</a>. </p>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">For employers that opt to create their own policies, the policy must:</p>
<ul><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Prohibit sexual harassment consistent with
guidance issued by the Department of Labor in consultation with the
Division of Human Rights;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Provide examples of prohibited conduct that would constitute unlawful sexual harassment;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Include information concerning the federal and
state statutory provisions concerning sexual harassment, remedies
available to victims of sexual harassment, and a statement that there
may be applicable local laws;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Include a complaint form;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Include a procedure for the timely and confidential investigation of complaints that ensures due process for all parties;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Inform employees of their rights and redress and
all available forums for adjudicating sexual harassment complaints
administratively and judicially</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Clearly state that sexual harassment is considered
a form of employee misconduct and that sanctions will be enforced
against individuals engaging in sexual harassment and against supervisor
and managerial personnel who knowingly allow such behavior to continue;</p>
</li><li>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Clearly state that retaliation against individuals
who complain of sexual harassment or who testify or assist in any
investigation or proceeding involving sexual harassment is
unlawful. </p>
</li></ul><p class="gmail-rtejustify">Additionally, employers must provide this
policy in writing or electronically to employees. If the policy is made
available on a work computer, employees must be able to print a copy
for their own records. New York further requires that the policy be
provided to employees “in the language spoken by their employees.” To
assist employers, New York intends to publish the model materials in
different languages; yet if the model materials are not available in an
employee’s primary language, the employer may provide the employee with
an English-language version. Employers do not have to provide this
policy to “independent contractors, vendors or consultants.” </p>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">Furthermore, the complaint form does not need to
be included in full in the employer’s policy, but the policy should be
clear about where the form may be found, for example, on the company’s
internal website. </p>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">In addition to the above requirements, all New
York employers must provide employees with annual, interactive sexual
harassment prevention training. The deadline for completing the
training requirement has been extended to <strong>October 9, 2019</strong>. </p>
<p class="gmail-rtejustify">New York employers should also make sure that they
implement compliant annual preventative sexual harassment training by
the October 9, 2019 deadline. In addition, New York employers operating
in New York City should familiarize themselves with the requirements
imposed by the Stop Sexual Harassment in New York City Act, which will
impose additional training requirements beginning April 1, 2019.</p>
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© Polsinelli PC, Polsinelli LLP in California </div>
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<br>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div></div>