New York Pay Transparency Law Applies Even if Job is Outside NY

New York’s pay transparency law requires employers to disclose the pay range, along with an existing job description, for any job, promotion, or transfer opportunity advertisement when any part of the role physically can (or will) be performed in the state.

 

Effective September 17, 2023, these disclosure requirements also apply to advertisements for a job, promotion, or transfer opportunity that will be physically performed outside the state but report to a supervisor, office, or other worksite inside the state.

 

New York Pumps Up Lactation Accommodation Requirements – Compliance Reminder

New York State is expanding its lactation accommodation requirements, with changes taking effect on June 7, 2023. Employers of all sizes will still be required to allow employees to take lactation breaks for up to three years after childbirth (as has been the case for several years). Here are the changes.

 

Designating Lactation Space

Employers must designate a space employees can use to express breastmilk at work. The space must be well-lit, private, and near the employee’s work area. In addition, the designated lactation space must have:

• A chair
• A working surface
• Access to clean running water nearby
• An electrical outlet if the workplace has electricity

 

The space can’t be a bathroom or toilet stall (this is the same under federal law). If the lactation space isn’t designated solely for lactation purposes, the employer is required to ensure that it’s available when an employee needs it and should make other employees aware that those who are lactating have priority access to the space.

 

Technically, the requirement to designate a lactation space is only triggered when an employee asks for it, but we recommend proactively identifying a space if you don’t already have one.

 

Notice

The new law adds two notice requirements.

• First, employers are required to adopt a policy and distribute it to employees upon hire, once a year, and when returning to work after the birth of a child. The policy must inform employees of their rights under the lactation accommodations law, tell employees how to request space at work to take lactation breaks, and promise that the employer will respond to lactation space requests within five business days. The law directs the New York Department of Labor to create a template policy.

 

• Second, when an employer designates a space for lactation, it must inform all employees of the designation as soon as possible. You can put this in your policy to comply with this requirement—another incentive to designate a space proactively.

 

Undue Hardship Exception

Employers don’t have to designate and prioritize a lactation space that meets the requirements outlined above if doing so would cause an undue hardship by causing significant difficulty or expense. Even if an employer cannot provide everything required without undue hardship, it should comply with the law to the extent that it can.

 

Regardless of undue hardship, all employers must still:

• Provide lactation breaks to employees
• Make reasonable efforts to provide a private, non-bathroom space near the employee’s work area to express breast milk

 

Also note that if you have 50 or more employees, you still have to comply with the requirements for lactation accommodations under federal law, without exception.

 

Additional Protections

The changes to the law clarify that:

• Employees are entitled to take a lactation break each time they need to express breastmilk
• Employers must allow employees to store breastmilk in refrigerators in the workplace, if any
• Employees are protected from all forms of discrimination and retaliation for exercising their lactation accommodation rights

 

Action Items

• Designate a lactation space.
• Adopt and distribute a compliant lactation accommodations policy to all employees.

 

New York Releases Updated Model Sexual Harassment Policy – Compliance Reminder

The New York Division of Human Rights has released an updated Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy. The state requires that employers of all sizes use the model policy or one that is equivalent to it. The updated model policy is considerably longer than the last version and includes additional definitions and examples. It also includes a new section on bystander intervention.

 

Given the length (11 pages) and complexity of the updated policy, we recommend using it essentially as-is—with customization where indicated—rather than trying to modify a more generic policy to meet New York’s minimum required standards. Employers that don’t include the policy in their employee handbook should ensure that it’s given to each employee as part of the onboarding materials.

 

Action Item

Make any necessary changes to your equal employment policy and distribute it to employees as soon as possible, but no later than during your next round of sexual harassment prevention training. The new model policy, as well as other required forms, notices, and model training requirements, is available here.