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Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York
Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York
Comply with the NY Retail Worker Safety Act and empower employees to understand, recognize, and respond effectively to all forms of workplace violence, including everything from verbal harassment to extreme violence.
35 minutes (Employee) 45 minutes (Manager)
Employee and Manager Versions 
English and Spanish
Training Topics
Workplace Violence Awareness and Prevention Workplace Compliance Training
CA SB 553Extreme Violence ResponseActive Assailant Response
Contact us for a full course demo.
Meet the NY law with engaging and effective training.
Effective June 2, 2025, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act requires New York employers with 10 or more retail employees to put in place a workplace violence prevention program complete with a written workplace violence prevention plan and interactive training on workplace violence prevention and de-escalation tactics.
Atana's Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York course and resources can help you meet the mandate with an approach that raises awareness of concerning behaviors and builds skills on how to bring concerns forward when necessary. It covers extreme violence situations in a way that makes people mindful, not fearful, and meets the following requirements of the law:
Training Topics Covered in
Getting Real About Workplace Violence – New York
- Definition of workplace violence and an explanation of the four types of workplace violence
- Type 1: Criminal intent
- Type 2: Customer/client
- Type 3: Employee
- Type 4: Personal relationship
- Warning signs of potential violence
- Impact of domestic violence
- Bringing concerns forward
- Situations that put retail workers at risk
- De-escalation tactics
- Taking action when faced with concerning behaviors
- Responding immediately to an act of extreme violence
- Additional responsibilities of managers (Manager Module)
Organization-Specific Training Topics*
(Employer responsibility -- see Resources below)
- Assess potential workplace violence hazards (Risk Assessment)
- Create and communicate policies
- Provide additional store-specific training
- Familiarize managers with
- Location-specific emergency procedures, exits, meeting places, etc.
- Previous security problems
*Atana offers course customization options for customers who wish to incorporate information about their workplace violence prevention program into the eLearning.
*Atana offers course customization options for customers who wish to incorporate information about their workplace violence prevention program into the eLearning.
To help you comply with the New York Retail Worker Safety Act, we provide the following resources:
- Ask the Expert: James Sporleder on the NY Retail Worker Safety Act
- Understanding the New York Retail Worker Safety Act
- 3 Critical Areas to Strengthen Workplace Violence Prevention and Response
You can also find helpful resources on the ASIS International website, including:
Course Details
The Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York course is divided into four sections.
Concerning Behaviors
Enables learners to:
- Recognize and identify warning signs of potential violence in the workplace
- Describe the four types of workplace violence
- Apply strategies to identify risks
- Take action when faced with concerning behaviors
Training time: 17 minutes
Acts of Extreme Violence
Enables learners to:
- Understand the three options for responding to an act of extreme violence: Get Out, Get Safe, or Get Tough™
- Take immediate and decisive action to protect themselves and others in the event of a crisis
Training time: 11 minutes
De-Escalation Strategies
Enables learners to:
- Explain what to do when faced with an angry customer
- Utilize the CALM strategies to help prevent escalating an interaction with an angry customer
- Recognize when to call a manager if they feel unsafe or threatened
Training time: 5 minutes
New York State-Specific Requirements
Enables learners to:
- Understand the requirements of the NY Retail Worker Safety Act
Training time: 2 minutes
Manager Course
The Getting Real About Workplace Violence Manager Course builds on the main course with advanced instruction that enables managers to:
- Describe the Progression of Violence
- Foster a work culture in which employees are comfortable reporting concerning behaviors
- Explain how domestic violence impacts the workplace
- Understand the importance of connecting with team members regularly
Learning Goals
The training enables your employees and managers to:
- Identify warning signs of potential violence
- Explain how domestic violence can impact the workplace
- Take action when faced with concerning behaviors
- Immediately respond to an act of extreme violence
- Utilize de-escalation strategies when customers are upset or angry
- Understand the New York State Retail Worker Safety Act and what it means for them
Measure Success with Atana Insights
- A 5-minute pre-measurement module establishes a baseline of attitudes on and awareness of workplace violence issues.
- Atana aggregates your learners’ responses to questions in the course related to desired workplace actions (such as sharing concerns about abusive conduct in the workplace with a manager or HR and acting immediately in the face of extreme violence to Get Out, Get Safe, or Get Tough.). All data is anonymized.
- Using the gathered data, Atana Insights creates a benchmark of strengths and weaknesses within your organization’s culture and compares your results to national averages.
- Your organization receives actionable next steps that are proven to drive real, measurable, and positive change at scale.
Measure Success with Atana Insights
- Atana aggregates your learners’ responses to questions in the course related to desired workplace actions (such as sharing concerns about warning signs of potential violence with a manager or HR and taking immediate and decisive action to protect yourself and others in the event of a crisis). All data is anonymized.
- Using the gathered data, Atana Insights creates a benchmark of strengths and weaknesses within your organization’s culture and compares your results to national averages.
- Your organization receives actionable next steps that are proven to drive real, measurable, and positive change at scale.
“strongly aligns with our core values as a company”
The training is something we feel strongly aligns with our core values as a company. We wanted to be able to share those ideas with our employees in ways that are in line with the diversity & inclusion course.
Angela Leavell, Director eLearning and Development, Hard Rock International
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Rob Highfill, Director of Customer Solutions, Frontline Insurance
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Renee Frisk-Jones, Senior Manager - Enterprise Learning Experience & Solutions, Harbor Freight
“Atana enables us to identify what impact these courses have on our people and our business"
Tracking impact and ROI for our L&D and HR initiatives is historically difficult. Atana enables us to identify what impact these courses have on our people and our business.
Renee Frisk-Jones, Senior Manager - Enterprise Learning Experience & Solutions, Harbor Freight
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Frequently Asked Questions about the NY Retail Worker Safety Act
When does the law go into effect?
June 2, 2025
In addition, by January 1, 2027, employers with 500 or more retail employees across the state need to provide access to Silent Response Buttons which alert internal staff (supervisors, managers, security) of an emergency.
Who is impacted by the mandate?
The Retail Worker Safety Act applies to retail establishments selling consumer goods, such as:
- Clothing and accessory stores
- Electronics and appliance retailers
- Home goods and furniture stores
- Pharmacies and specialty retail outlets
Businesses primarily focused on selling food for on-premise consumption (restaurants) are exempt from the mandate.
What does the law require of employers?
Effective June 2, 2025, the New York Retail Worker Safety Act (S8358B/A8947C) requires all retailers with 10 or more employees to:
- Conduct a risk evaluation by examining the workplace for potential hazards related to workplace violence
- Develop, implement, and maintain a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan that:
- Identifies potential risks
- Explains reporting procedures for identifying risks, and incidents
- Explains prevention procedures
- Describes emergency procedures, emergency exits, and meeting places
In addition to training on the organization’s Workplace Violence Prevention Plan, employers need to provide interactive workplace violence prevention training on concerning behaviors; what to do if an act of extreme violence, like an active shooter, occurs; and verbal de-escalation strategies.
How often do employees need to be trained?
- Employers with 50 or more employees need to provide workplace violence prevention training upon hire and annually
- Employers with fewer than 50 retail employees need to provide workplace violence prevention training upon hire and every two years
What is verbal de-escalation training and why is it required?
Retail workers are on the front line with the public. They handle cash transactions, face high foot traffic, and often work long or late hours. Unfortunately, tensions can escalate quickly in these settings over a variety of issues.
Because retail employees can't always rely on security and managers to intervene immediately, de-escalation training empowers them with skills to cool heated encounters with frustrated people and keep negative situations from spiraling. It includes instruction on how to stay calm, say things that can defuse the tension, and listen actively to what the customer is saying.
What is the Silent Response Button?
Employers with 500 or more retail employees state-wide, must provide Silent Response Buttons in the workplace by the 1st of January in 2027. This button alerts an internal response team (supervisors, managers, security) that there is an emergency.
What happens to businesses that don't comply?
Like most labor laws, non-compliance can lead to fines, penalties, or even legal action, especially if a workplace incident occurs and the employer is found lacking in the required preventative steps.
Beyond the legal and financial risks, there's also a risk of damage to brand and reputation, not to mention the moral imperative that underpins issues like this. No organization wants to be labeled as ignoring employee safety. So, it's in a company's best interest to follow the law.
Does Getting Real About Workplace Violence meet the training requirements of the New York law?
Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail – NY has been developed to include the general topics required in the New York Retail Worker Safety Act. Employers have additional training obligations (see details above).
Additionally, the eLearning course meets the general employee training requirements outlined in the Workplace Violence and Active Assailant—Prevention, Intervention, and Response American National Standard (ASIS WVPI AA-2020). Legal teams often reference ASIS WVPI AA-2020 as the training standard during litigation when addressing whether someone was trained in workplace violence prevention.
Getting Real About Workplace Violence – New York is divided into four main sections. What are they?
The main sections are:
- Identifying behaviors of concern
- Types of workplace violence
- Domestic violence
- Creating a positive and respectful workplace
- Taking action during an act of extreme violence
- Get out, Get safe, Get tough
- Creating a plan
- De-escalation tactics
- The New York Retail Worker Safety Act
- Identifying behaviors of concern
If I already trained my employees with Getting Real About Workplace Violence in the past year, do I meet the NY mandate?
No. There is a new version specifically for New York that includes the topics outlined in the table on this webpage.
Will there be an extra fee for upgrading to Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail – New York?
If you already purchased Getting Real About Workplace Violence and are in your contract period, there is no additional fee.
Can Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York be customized to include information on our organization’s policies and plan?
Yes. Atana offers course customization options for customers who wish to incorporate information about their plan into the eLearning. Contact us for more information.
Does eLearning meet the law's "interactive" requirement, and what's the easiest way to allow for feedback?
The New York law mandates that training must be “interactive,” meaning it should actively engage participants and allow for meaningful feedback and discussion.
- While eLearning can be considered interactive if it includes features that promote engagement, it’s also important that the training include aspects that address specific issues related to a particular worksite or work location. The eLearning Atana created for New York Retail Worker training meets several features of “Interactive Training,” such as including quiz questions and survey questions, but there is still a need to provide specific guidance and training to employees within a given workplace or work setting. Getting Real About Workplace Violence Retail - New York can be customized to meet this need.
- Other ways organizations can help ensure their training is “interactive” is to have discussion boards or forums where learners can post questions or engage in discussion about the training content. They might also consider feedback forms and post-training surveys. Augmenting existing employee support systems within the organization might be the most efficient way to get these elements into place.
- Offering a way for a learner to receive prompt feedback is also very important. Providing a direct link to a point of contact for feedback on a policy web page is a good start, but it should be coupled with other mechanisms to ensure timely responses and follow-up actions.
How do we go about conducting the law's required risk evaluation?
Does Atana have samples of a comprehensive workplace violence prevention plan?
Need an answer here and hopefully can put in a link to the NY OSHA site for a template.
What about NY employers with retail employees outside of New York?
Need an answer.