news article

Reminder regarding New York State required annual training for sexual harassment prevention

August 20, 2020 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

As previously communicated, New York State employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and provide training on sexual harassment prevention to their employees on an annual basis.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy

Each New York State employer is required to have a sexual harassment prevention policy in place. The employer’s sexual harassment prevention policy must be provided to the employee at the time of hire and during each annual training. The policy can be provided electronically as long as the employee is able to print the policy for their records.

It is recommended you obtain a signed acknowledgment from the employee affirming they have received and read the employer’s sexual harassment prevention policy.

Click here for a prior news article on the sexual harassment prevention policy requirements.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training

New York State Law requires that employers of one or more employees must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees on an annual basis. The employer can decide the timing of the annual training (calendar year, anniversary date, or any other date) as long as it is completed annually (i.e. by December 31). Employers are encouraged to track completion of training through attendance sheets, certificates of completion, or some other manner for audit purposes.

Free Training Available

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has developed a free online training that will satisfy both the New York State and New York City anti-sexual harassment training requirements. New York City's free online training is available here.

Please note that Safe Sanctuaries training does not exempt churches from the New York State sexual harassment prevention training requirements.

As of the issuance of this news article, Gov. Cuomo has not delayed the annual sexual harassment prevention training requirement. If this does occur in the future, an updated news article will be distributed.

Click here for a previous news article with a helpful FAQ on this topic.

Click here for a previous news article on additional training options.

If you have questions on this topic, please contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist, at (315) 898-2017 or email at tracyrickett@unyumc.org.