A few years ago, a Brooklyn retailer inquired about why two stores, located a mile apart, had different training checklists. The State store ran an annual interactive course and kept certificates on file. The City location added bystander content, posted a rights notice in English and Spanish, and provided a fact sheet at the time of hire. Same brand, different rules. If that sounds familiar, you are in the right place. Below, you will find a clear side-by-side view, practical tips, and examples you can copy today.
NYS and NYC Sexual Harassment Training Requirements
New York State (NYS) requires every employer with at least one employee to provide annual interactive sexual harassment prevention training. Employers may use the State’s model training or their own program that meets the State’s minimum standards.
New York City (NYC) adds local rules when an employer has 15 or more workers at any point in the current or prior calendar year. Covered workers include employees and many contractors who work more than 80 hours in a calendar year and for at least 90 days. NYC also requires a posted rights notice and a fact sheet for new hires.
Who Must Train Under NYS
NYS uses a broad definition of “employee.” Full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary workers, as well as domestic workers, are included. Training repeats every year and must be interactive. The State publishes model materials that employers can adopt or adapt, which helps standardize content across locations.
Suppose an employee’s primary language is Spanish and the State publishes model materials in that language. In that case, the employer should provide the policy, notice, and training in both English and the employee’s primary language. Spanish is one of the supported languages.
Who Must Train In NYC
NYC’s Stop Sexual Harassment Act requires annual training for employers that meet the 15-worker threshold. The law covers employees, interns, and many independent contractors once they meet both thresholds: working more than 80 hours in a calendar year and being employed in NYC for at least 90 days. Employers should maintain training records for at least three years and post a rights notice, as well as distribute a fact sheet.
City training must include local, State, and federal definitions, examples, reporting paths inside the employer, external complaint options, retaliation, bystander intervention, and supervisor responsibilities.
What Counts As Interactive Training
Watching a video without participation does not satisfy the NYS standard. Web-based training should include knowledge checks, questions during modules, or a way for learners to submit questions and receive answers. Live sessions should invite discussion and scenario practice. The state’s published minimum standards require interactivity as an essential element.
This is the right place to reference Interactive Sexual Harassment Training NY, as the phrase captures the heart of the State rule and reminds teams to incorporate quizzes, prompts, and Q&A into their course.
Language Access And Spanish Programs
For teams with Spanish speakers, language access is not a luxury; it’s a necessity. NYS expects employers to deliver the policy, notice, and training in an employee’s primary language where the State has model materials in that language. Offer Spanish content and a way to ask questions in Spanish, then keep completion proof with your records. This is where you can naturally link phrases like ‘Spanish Sexual Harassment Training New York‘ ‘Spanish Sexual Harassment Training NY,’ and ‘Online Spanish Sexual Harassment Training NY‘ when describing your rollout.
Delivery Options And Documentation
NYC’s Commission on Human Rights provides a free online course that satisfies both NYS and NYC requirements and is available in Spanish. If you use that course, include your internal reporting steps so that people know exactly whom to contact within the company. Keep certificates or acknowledgments to demonstrate timely completion during an audit or investigation.
Many HR teams standardize on one Spanish and one English course statewide, then add a short NYC insert that covers posting, recordkeeping, and local contact details. That approach keeps documentation tidy and supports audits across locations.
Supervisor Responsibilities
Supervisors need more than definitions. NYC expects training to cover managerial duties related to early response, documentation, escalation, and anti-retaliation. Provide managers with a short Spanish module, if they prefer it, along with a one-page checklist for the first five minutes after a report. This is a natural place to use Supervisor Sexual Harassment Training NY in your internal links.
Penalties, Complaints, And Reporting
Skipping required training invites legal and cultural risk. NYC can investigate violations and may seek civil penalties for willful breaches, along with ordered remedies such as training. New York State also highlights a confidential hotline for reporting sexual harassment and connecting workers with pro bono attorneys. You can link phrases like ‘Sexual Harassment Training NY Penalties‘ and ‘Report Sexual Harassment New York‘ in policy pages and LMS reminders.
NY State Hotline 1-800-HARASS-3 connects callers with pro bono attorneys for information and referrals. Employers should include the hotline in their materials.
A Practical Playbook HR Can Run This Quarter
1) Map audiences and languages
List every location, role, and primary language—Mark Spanish speakers and contractors who may cross NYC’s 80-hour and 90-day thresholds.
2) Select courses and add inserts
Pick one English and one Spanish course that meet NYS standards. If you operate in NYC, include a brief local insert with posting rules, record-keeping requirements, and complaint procedures.
3) Schedule and track
Choose an annual month, add new-hire deadlines, and use reminders. Save certificates or acknowledgments for at least three years in NYC.
4) Brief supervisors
Run a focused manager segment on intake, documentation, routing, and anti-retaliation, with sample scripts and a one-page checklist.
5) Close the loop
Post the NYC rights notice in both English and Spanish, distribute the fact sheet at the time of hire, and include hotline information in both languages.
Field Examples You Can Borrow
A Bronx grocer with seasonal hires
Stockers work 25 hours weekly for four months. They meet NYS rules and cross NYC’s hours and days thresholds. The HR lead assigns a Spanish interactive course, posts the bilingual notice, distributes the fact sheet at hire, and stores certificates by site and date.
A Westchester catering firm sending crews into Manhattan
Crews work events in NYC for multiple months. The company provides training to all employees through a Spanish course that meets NYS and NYC requirements, adds a supervisor add-on, and maintains certificates centrally.
A Queens boutique with six employees
Small teams still train under NYS. If any employee’s primary language is Spanish, the company provides policy, notices, and training in both English and Spanish, and maintains proof of completion.
FAQs
What is the core difference between NYS and NYC sexual harassment training rules?
You are comparing a statewide baseline with a city add-on. NYS requires annual interactive training for all employers with one or more employees. NYC adds requirements for employers that reach 15 workers, then covers employees and many contractors who meet the 80-hour and 90-day thresholds, as well as posting and a fact sheet for new hires. This is the practical split HR teams should plan around.
Do I need a separate Spanish program to meet both NYS and NYC rules?
You do not need two separate Spanish programs. Select one Spanish course that meets NYS interactivity and core topics, and then add a brief NYC insert covering posting, record-keeping, bystander content, and local reporting. This approach keeps content aligned and records tidy. Mention ‘New York Sexual Harassment Training (Spanish)‘ in your LMS so employees can easily locate the correct course.
How fast should new hires complete training under these rules?
Train new hires as soon as practical under NYS, then track anyone who will cross NYC’s thresholds during the year. Many employers add the online course to their onboarding process, then set a 30-day target. Keep certificates or acknowledgments to demonstrate timely completion if requested by the City or during an investigation. The exact cadence works for Spanish sessions.
What proof should I keep if I run a Spanish online course for locations in NYC?
Store completion certificates or signed acknowledgments for at least three years in NYC. Keep copies of the Spanish policy, your internal reporting insert, the posted rights notice, and the new hire fact sheet for future reference. Simple folders by site and date work well. If you use the City’s free online course, the certificate also serves as proof for audits.
Where can employees report concerns outside the company?
Employees can contact the NYC Commission to file a complaint and can also call the NYS confidential hotline at 1-800-HARASS-3 for information and referrals to pro bono attorneys. Include these contacts on your LMS and policy pages. Clear external paths sit alongside internal contacts, supporting faster and safer reporting by Spanish and English speakers.
