** UPDATE! the New York State Department of Labor (NYDSOL) has released a draft sexual harassment policy and training materials. The materials are open for review and comment from the public.**
Sexual harassment is a horrible thing and it has no place in the family atmosphere that we expect in farm businesses. Prevention is the best medicine, so farms and other agriculture businesses should take steps to get a strong sexual harassment prevention policy and training in place. That policy should define sexual harassment, provide a means for reporting it, and let victims know that they will be protected when they report harassment. Business owners should act quickly and decisively to investigate and solve any sexual harassment situations. Owners should be further advised that if any managers know about sexual harassment and do nothing about it, that can expose the business to even more legal risk.
Don’t think that sexual harassment can’t happen in your business. There are many well-documented cases of sexual harassment and even sexual assault that have taken place on farms and resulted in legal consequences. I am personally aware of sexual harassment situations that have taken place in dairy farms and were resolved by management. Bottom line, do not ignore this issue, it can happen in your business, it can happen anywhere.
All New York employers are required to put sexual harassment policies and training in place as of October 2018. Some proactive farmers have already asked for help in preparing this policy and training, so I have developed a resource page and starter policy to assist them. As of August 16, 2018, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) has not yet delivered a model policy and training. When NYSDOL publishes this model information, all resources at Cornell Ag Workforce Development will be updated to conform to that guidance. Until then, these resources will help you protect your employees and your business from sexual harassment.
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By Richard Stup, Cornell University. Permission granted to repost, quote, and reprint with author attribution.
The post Sexual Harassment Prevention: Get Started Now! appeared first on Cornell Agricultural Workforce Development.
