New York, NY: New Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Video and FAQs Now Available

Last summer, the New York City mayor signed a packet of bills into law that greatly expanded employee protections and employer responsibilities with regard to sexual harassment prevention.  Among these bills was a new requirement to provide sexual harassment training to employees incorporating specified topics on an annual basis.  Training must be completed by December 31, 2019, although New York state regulations also contain a training requirement that must be fulfilled by October 9, 2019.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights (Commission) has created a free online interactive training module to fulfill the training requirements.  The module incorporates all required topics, including the definition of sexual harassment, discussions regarding gender identity and sexuality, and employee rights and responsibilities.  Completing the online module will produce a certificate of completion for the participant.

Employers are required to keep a record of annual sexual harassment prevention training (including signed employee acknowledgment of participating in training) for at least three years, and to make such records available for Commission inspection upon request.

To complement this resource, the Commission also revised its Frequently Asked Questions to incorporate further guidance for employers on when training must take place, who qualifies as a covered employee required to receive training, and more.