The #MeToo movement began in California, but it has since spread across the country. Since then, companies and governments have made moves to address sexual harassment in the workplace. New York City is one such municipality.
In 2018, CNN reported that New York City had just made it mandatory for workers to complete sexual harassment training. The law applies to people working for companies that employed 15 or more employees. Supervisors and managers reportedly needed to complete the training, as well.
Why older training programs did not work
Some people question whether more training solves anything. Several companies that always had sexual harassment training still have issues in this area. How programs present the information deserves some blame. Companies often create programs geared toward avoiding liability and not toward actually addressing the issue of sexual harassment.
What the current training program looks like
To ensure a better training experience and to provide some uniformity, New York City created a more standardized training program. According to the local government website, it takes roughly 45 minutes to complete.
For workers’ convenience, the city made the training program compatible with both computers and phones. Unfortunately, workers cannot refresh the page, save their progress or reload. Attempting any of these may result in restarting the training program.
The law requires employers to hold on to proof of employees completing the training for at least three years. Employees also receive a certificate of completion. Time will tell whether it actually prevents or reduces sexual harassment in the workplace. In the meantime, the law at least signals to employers that New York City takes harassment seriously.