New York Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Requirements: A Guide for Employers

New York requires every employer, of any size, to train its employees on sexual harassment prevention every year. That is a different starting point from California, which applies to employers with five or more employees and works on a two-year cycle.

New York State law (Labor Law §201-g) requires employers of one or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees each year, and to give them a written policy. The NYC Commission on Human Rights summarizes the State rule, and the statute is on the New York State Senate site.

Who must be trained

• Every employee who works, or will work, in New York State, including part-time, seasonal, and temporary workers.
• An employee based in another state who works part of their time in New York must also be trained. The State FAQ explains this.
• Contractors are not required to be trained under State law, but the State encourages employers to give the policy and training to anyone providing services in their workplace.

How often, and by when

Employees must be trained at least once per year. According to the State FAQ, the employer chooses the cycle: the calendar year, each employee's start-date anniversary, or another date.

The State sets no fixed deadline for a new employee's first training. It recommends giving the written policy on or before the employee's first day of work.

What the training must be

• Interactive. Online training counts, as long as it is interactive.
• Meets the State standard. Employers can use the State's model training, or a vendor or in-house program that meets or exceeds the State's minimum standards.
• Covers supervisors. The training must address supervisors' conduct and their additional responsibilities.
• Counts as work time. Employees are trained on paid work time.

The State publishes a model training that employers deliver. It is not a course the State runs for you, so the administration still falls to the employer.

The written policy

• Provide it to every employee in writing at hiring and again at every annual training.
• Provide it in English and in the employee's primary language where the State has published a model in that language. The State FAQ currently lists Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Haitian Creole, Bengali, Urdu, French, and Italian; check the FAQ for the current list.
• Include a standard complaint form.

New York City adds its own rules

Employers in New York City, and some employers outside it, have additional obligations under Local Law 96 of 2018. They apply to employers with 15 or more employees, and include a calendar-year training cycle and a three-year record requirement. The Commission's FAQ sets out the City rules, and our New York City guide walks through them.

The Commission offers a free online training and states that it meets both New York City and New York State training requirements. Using it does not replace the written policy and record obligations.

What the State does not require

State law does not require a signed acknowledgment or a set record-retention period. The State encourages employers to keep both. Our deadlines and records guide covers what to keep.

How Beamly helps

Beamly helps you assign the training, collect certificates, deliver your policy, and keep records you can retrieve later. You tell Beamly which states each employee works in, and Beamly does not make a legal determination about who is covered. It does not replace your own review of the rules.

If you also have California employees, see California harassment prevention training requirements.