Sexual harassment occurs in all industries, and it can make the work environment extremely hostile for victims. Although there are federal laws that deal with sexual harassment, the state and city of New York have even stricter laws regarding harassment in the workplace.
The Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act is an extension of the New York State Human Rights Law, and it outlines specific obligations for employers.
New York State Women’s Agenda
According to New York State, in 2019, the governor signed new legislation under the New York State Human Rights Law. This anti-sexual harassment agenda strengthened protections against harassment and discrimination, and it supported previously passed laws that created more opportunities for women to succeed in work, education, family life, health and safety.
Some highlights of this law include:
- Extension of statute of limitations from one to three years
- Elimination of restriction that harassment must be pervasive or severe
- Adoption of training and prevention policy for employers
Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act details
Even before the governor signed this agenda into law, the Official Website of the City of New York discusses that the mayor of New York City signed the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act in May of 2018. Although this law expands gender-based protections to all employees, no matter how many employees there are, required sexual harassment prevention training only applies to employers that employ 15 employees or more.
This training must occur annually, and employers must train not only full-time employees, but also independent contractors and part-time employees who worked for a minimum of 90 days and more than 80 hours in a year.
The minimum elements that the training must provide include a detailed description of sexual harassment and a statement that it is unlawful discrimination. Training must discuss the complaint process, responsibilities of managerial employees and bystander intervention information. It must also explain that there may be no retaliation by the accused or employer if someone comes forward with a complaint.
