Skip to Main Content

Policies: Sexual Harassment

This guide is a companion to the 4CLS Policy Webinar series.

Overview

The Human Rights Law protects victims of harassment, including sexual harassment, in important  ways such as ensuring that harassment does not need to be severe or pervasive to be against the law.

Employers must adopt a sexual harassment prevention policy and training, or use a similar policy and training, that meet or exceeds the law’s minimum standards.

The training requirement is annual.  Employees must receive training every year.  New hires must be trained within 30 days of their start date.

Many libraries have access to free online training through their insurance carrier.  

The library director or person responsible for retaining library records should file all Certification Forms in a file labeled Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for permanent record. 

For more information, go to: https://www.ny.gov/programs/combating-sexual-harassment-workplace 

Sexual Harassment Policy

Model Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy - provided by New York State, 2023

The policy must:

  • prohibit sexual harassment consistent with guidance issued by the Department of Labor in consultation with the Division of Human Rights
  • provide examples of prohibited conduct that would constitute unlawful sexual harassment
  • include information concerning the federal and state statutory provisions concerning sexual harassment, remedies available to victims of sexual harassment, and a statement that there may be applicable local laws
  • include a complaint form
  • include a procedure for the timely and confidential investigation of complaints that ensures due process for all parties
  • inform employees of their rights of redress and all available forums for adjudicating sexual harassment complaints administratively and judicially
  • clearly state that sexual harassment is considered a form of employee misconduct and that sanctions will be enforced against individuals engaging in sexual harassment and against supervisory and managerial personnel who knowingly allow such behavior to continue
  • clearly state that retaliation against individuals who complain of sexual harassment or who testify or assist in any investigation or proceeding involving sexual harassment is unlawful

Training

3 Simple Steps to Certification

Step #1: Have participants view the NYS Sexual Harassment Prevention Video found online.

Link to Training Video: https://youtu.be/A9gudpiQ40M

Link to Answer Sheet: https://www.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2023-04/Sexual_Harassment_Prevention_Training_Answer_Sheet.pdf

Time: 54-minutes

Step #2: Provide opportunity for questions about the material.

Step #3: Provide participants with the Certification and Follow-up Training Questions Form. ( see below).

This form should be used to offer participants the opportunity to ask additional questions about how the library addresses sexual harassment. The person proctoring the participant’s training can answer questions verbally if they are authorized, or the participant can ask questions in writing using the back of the form and the library director or board will have to answer in timely manner, verbally or in writing.