New York City Commission on Human Rights Publishes Sexual Harassment Poster and Information Sheet

Seyfarth Synopsis: The Commission has published the sexual harassment poster and information sheet mandated under the “Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act.” Employers must display the poster, and distribute the information sheet, as of September 6, 2018.

The “Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act” requires that “every employer . . . conspicuously display an anti-sexual harassment rights and responsibilities poster . . . in employee breakrooms or other common areas.” The New York City Commission on Human Rights has published the English version of the poster on its website, which can be accessed here. The Commission has not yet published the poster in Spanish. Under the Act, employers must have the poster displayed by September 6, 2018.

The Act also requires employers to distribute an information sheet on sexual harassment (in English and Spanish) to individual employees at the time of hire or in their employee handbook. The Commission has now posted a sample English-language information sheet on its website. Employers must begin distributing the sheet, or include the information in their employee handbook, by September 6, 2018.

Other Upcoming Deadlines under the NYC Law:

Similar to the recent New York State legislation, which goes into effect on October 9, 2018 and requires all employers to provide anti-sexual harassment training, the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to conduct annual, interactive anti-sexual-harassment training for all employees employed in New York City. That requirement goes into effect on April 1, 2019. The Commission will develop and publish an online training module that employers may use to satisfy the training component. Our prior Alerts regarding the new City and State legislation may be found here, here, and here.

The attorneys at Seyfarth Shaw LLP are available to provide assistance with guidance on both the State and City requirements, including ensuring that employers have robust policies in place regarding anti-harassment in the workplace and procedures to effectively respond to complaints. We can also provide interactive anti-harassment training tailored to your company’s specific business and needs.