As legislators attempt to keep up with public sentiment regarding discrimination in the workplace and pay discrepancies, 2019 promises to be yet another year of changes for employers. NFC wants to make sure your business is prepared to keep up with these changes, and hit the ground running in 2019. Below is a list of top priorities for employers to focus on in the first quarter of the new year.
To help guide employers through these changes,
NFC is presenting a LIVE complimentary webinar on
Tuesday, February 5th, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET.
NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT TRAINING REQUIREMENTS IN NEW YORK

  • New York State: Make sure you are complying with the new New York State rules that require interactive, annual training for all employees that perform a portion of their work in New York State.

  • New York City: As of April 1, 2019, employers with 15 or more employees will also be required to provide annual interactive training to all workers including interns who work 80 or more hours in New York City during the calendar year. This training must also include training on bystander intervention. 


NEW SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY AND POSTING REQUIREMENTS IN NEW YORK

  • New York State: Review your sexual harassment policies to make sure they comply with the minimum New York State requirements and circulate the policies to your employees. 

CLICK HERE for more information about New York State's minimum requirements.

  • New York City: Make sure the New York City Commission on Human Rights Notice is posted for employees in at least English and Spanish, and provide all new hires with the New York City Commission on Human Rights Information Sheet.

CLICK HERE for the Stop Sexual Harassment Act Notice

CLICK HERE for the Stop Sexual Harassment Fact Sheet
OTHER NEW YORK CITY UPDATES

Accommodations for Disabilities : Be sure you are engaging with disabled employees to determine the need for accommodations, and that you provide a written determination after you conclude the interactive process.

Temporary Schedule Law : Employees are now entitled to make temporary changes to their schedules up to twice a year to accommodate personal events. READ MORE>>

Lactation Room Update :  Effective March 18, 2019, New York City employers will be required to meet additional lactation room requirements, which are more detailed than previous requirements, and provide a written lactation room policy to all current employees and new hires.

Pending Legislation : Be on the lookout for legislation currently pending in the City Council regarding the right of employees to disconnect after work hours.   In addition, while not yet pending legislation, Mayor de Blasio just announced his plan to require New York City employers to provide two weeks of paid time off to New York City employees.  Stay tuned!
NEW MINIMUM WAGE

New York State :

  • New York City employers of 10 or fewer employees: $13.50
  • New York City employers of 11 or more employees: $15.00 
  • Long Island and Westchester workers: $12.00                                        
  • Other New York State workers: $11.10
  • Note: There are different requirements for the fast food industry and tipped employees.

New Jersey :

  • New Jersey workers: $8.85
NEW JERSEY'S DIANE B. ALLEN EQUAL PAY ACT

Effective July 1, 2018, the Act makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees who are members of any protected class by paying them less compensation (including benefits) than those employees not in a protected class for “substantially similar” work when viewed as a composite of skill, effort and responsibility.New Jersey employers should review their compensation practices and policies to ensure compliance with this new law. READ MORE>>
AND MORE...

Paid Sick Leave : Both New York City and New Jersey allow employees to accrue one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year – so make sure your sick leave policies are up to date!  New York employers with Westchester employees should also be aware that the same will apply for those employees as of April 1, 2019.



Arbitration Agreements : Whether you already use arbitration agreements or want to start using them, make sure to check with your counsel about recent developments in the laws regarding arbitration agreements. 

Review Classification of Exempt Employees : The DOL has promised new guidelines regarding the salary threshold for the Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees exemptions. These are likely to be announced in March.

AND...MAKE SURE TO UPDATE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOKS!
Please email or call us at 973.665.9100 should you need any assistance in preparing your business for 2018.
Teaming with Employers to Build a Better Workplace.