Workplace Harassment Prevention Foundations

NYC Local Law 96 applies to covered employers with 15 or more employees, and CCHR guidance also addresses domestic-worker coverage. The course teaches employers to evaluate headcount, covered work in New York City, and independent-contractor work performed in furtherance of the business.

The worker threshold is practical: more than 80 hours in a calendar year and at least 90 days. That prevents the course from overtraining one-off visitors while still capturing part-time, temporary, freelance, and contractor work that is genuinely part of the business.

Records are not an afterthought. The employer keeps a record of training and signed acknowledgement for at least 3 years, and the record can be electronic if it is retrievable for Commission inspection.

NYC training must explain sexual harassment as unlawful discrimination under local law and state/federal law. The course uses examples involving customers, supervisors, coworkers, messages, jokes, job benefits, and threats.

The internal complaint process is employer-specific. Learners should know where to report, what information helps, how confidentiality is handled, and what backup path exists if the usual supervisor is involved.

External paths are named, not hidden: NYC Commission on Human Rights, New York State Division of Human Rights, and the EEOC. The lesson keeps agency information practical while reminding learners that the course is not legal advice.

Bystander training is taught through direct, distract, delegate, delay, and document options. Learners are not pushed into unsafe confrontation; they choose a response that helps the affected person and preserves facts.

Retaliation is broader than firing. Training examples include schedule changes, demotions, threats, isolation, workload changes, and pressure to withdraw a complaint. The course teaches learners to report retaliation even when the original issue is pending.

Supervisors and managers practice prevention and response: stop behavior when safe, receive concerns without judgment, escalate to the employer process, preserve records, and avoid retaliatory actions after a report.

Local Law 96 is the training rule, while the broader Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act package also includes notice and factsheet duties. The course teaches the distinction so a training certificate is not mistaken for a complete employer file.

The final acknowledgement asks learners to confirm the annual NYC module, employer complaint path, bystander options, anti-retaliation expectations, and receipt or availability of required employer materials.

The certificate should show the NYC overlay, annual training date, learner, employer, and verification path. The employer keeps the full record set, including signed acknowledgement and any required notice/factsheet workflow.