Two New Laws to Impact Many New York Employers

Two laws – one that has just taken effect and one that will take effect shortly – will impact many New York employers. Learn about the Retail Worker Safety Act and the jury duty pay increase law below.

New York Requires Retail Workplace Violence Prevention Measures

New York’s Retail Worker Safety Act recently took effect and requires employers with 10 or more retail employees (defined as those who work in retail stores) to adopt a written workplace violence prevention policy and provide employee training. Employers with 500 or more retail employees in the state are also required to provide silent response buttons. Retail stores exclude those that primarily sell food for on-site consumption.

While the Retail Worker Safety Act took effect on June 2, 2025, the state’s model policy and training program were only released a few days ago. However, a representative from the New York State Department of Labor stated that the law won’t be enforced until employers have had time to implement their plans and train their staff. View a model policy, training, and FAQs. Below is an overview of the law’s requirements.

Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

Employers are required to adopt a written workplace violence prevention policy that identifies workplace risks, outlines violence prevention methods, explains legal protections, and states that retaliation is unlawful.

Workplace Violence Prevention Training

Employers are required to provide retail employees with interactive workplace violence prevention training that includes information such as emergency procedures, de-escalation tactics, and instructions on how to use emergency devices, such as security alarms or silent response buttons. As part of this training, employers must also provide retail employees with a site-specific list of emergency exits and designated meeting places.

The training must be provided upon hire and annually thereafter. However, employers with 49 or fewer retail employees only need to provide the training upon hire and every two years thereafter.

Notice

Employers are required to provide retail employees with the policy and the information presented in the training in writing upon hire and at every workplace violence training. These must be provided in English and the employee’s primary language.

Silent Response Buttons

By January 1, 2027, employers with 500 or more retail employees in the state must provide silent response buttons to employees that enable them to request immediate assistance from a security officer, manager, or supervisor during work hours. This requirement can be satisfied by installing the button in an easily accessible location in the workplace or providing employees with wearable or mobile phone-based buttons. Phone-based buttons can only be installed on employer equipment, and wearable buttons can’t be used to track employees except when the button has been activated.

The governor signed A 01678 on February 14, 2025.

New York Increases Jury Duty Pay

Beginning June 8, 2025, the daily rate for jury duty in New York State will increase from $40 to $72. As was the case before, employers with 11 or more employees must pay employees the daily rate for each of their first three days of jury service. The state pays employees of smaller employers the daily rate. For details on how juror pay works in New York, see New York’s Jury Duty Information for Employers and this flowchart.

As always, exempt employees should be paid their full salary unless they’re absent for an entire workweek and do no work at all during that time; however, employers can offset the amount the employee receives from the state.

Action Items

• Ensure that your payroll department is made aware of the increase from $40 to $72.
• If this detail is included in your policy on jury service, update it in your employee handbook.

The governor signed A 3005C on May 9, 2025.

Is Your Employee Handbook Current with the Latest Laws?

Whether you are a New York employer or are located elsewhere, it’s critical to ensure your employee handbook is current with applicable laws and policies. To stay in compliance with federal and state regulations, ensure your employee handbook includes provisions for prenatal leave, paid family leave, harassment training, paid sick leave, remote work policies, safety requirements, and other relevant benefits. If you need assistance with updating your handbook or creating a new one, GTM can help. Our HR consultants have vast experience with employee handbooks and will ensure yours is compliant with state and federal laws. Our depth of knowledge in workplace policies and best practices ensures that the needs of both employees and employers are taken into account, providing the employer with peace of mind. Fill out the brief form below to learn more.