You’ve closed the books on another year of business. Then another year of labor law updates lands on your desk. New minimum wage rates. Updated leave policies. Revised poster requirements. And somewhere between keeping track of all these updates, you’re supposed to keep running your business and managing your team. If you’re a business leader in Buffalo or anywhere in New York State, this might feel familiar. You’re not just responsible for hitting revenue goals or serving customers. You’re also responsible for keeping your business compliant with dozens of regulations that seem to change every year. And whether you have four or forty employees, that responsibility lands squarely on your shoulders. Here’s what most compliance checklists won’t tell you: every requirement on that list is an opportunity to show your employees you’ve got their back. Let’s walk through New York’s 2026 compliance landscape – not just what you need to do, but how doing it right can help you build the kind of workplace people want to be part of. The Trust-Building Opportunity New York’s 2026 compliance requirements aren’t arbitrary. Most of them exist because lawmakers recognized specific situations where employees needed support. Paid prenatal leave. Expanded sick time. These are legal obligations – and they’re signals showing what workers value. When you approach these requirements as your baseline for supporting your people – not your ceiling – you change the entire conversation. You move from “we have to do this” to “this is how we take care of our people.” Think about the last time an employee needed to use sick leave, or take time off for a family situation, or ask about their pay. Their experience in that moment told them something about your business. Did they feel supported, or did they feel like an inconvenience? Did they get a clear answer when they had a question, or did they have to chase down information? Did they see that you thought through how to best handle their situation, or did it feel like you were figuring it out as you went? These small moments add up to your reputation as an employer. And in Buffalo’s tight labor market, that reputation is everything. Here, we’ll cover some notable compliance changes, what you need to do, and how each area of compliance fosters trust with your people. Wages and Pay Practices What’s Changing: Minimum wage increases to $16.00/hour for the majority of New York State, including Buffalo (up $0.50) Minimum wage increases to $17.00/hour in NYC, Long Island, and Westchester (up $0.50) Overtime exemption thresholds increase Your Action Steps: Confirm any necessary 2026 payroll updates. Review your current job postings for inclusion of “good faith” salary ranges. If you have overtime-exempt employees, confirm they meet the new salary threshold. Make sure tipped employees understand how their pay is calculated. Ensure all job postings continue to meet New York salary transparency requirements. When you proactively update wages and clearly communicate pay ranges, you send a message: “We follow the rules, and we’re transparent about it.” Employees don’t have to wonder if they’re being paid fairly. They don’t have to guess what that promotion might pay. You’ve already shown them you’re thinking ahead. Leave Policies That Show You Care What’s Changing: Paid Family Leave rates and contribution caps increase For businesses with NYC employees: Major expansion of Earned Safe and Sick Time Act (ESSTA) effective February 22, 2026, including 32 hours of unpaid protected time off from the beginning of employment. Your Action Steps: Confirm your business size and corresponding sick leave requirement. Set up separate tracking for prenatal leave (it’s in addition to regular sick leave). Update your payroll deductions for Paid Family Leave contributions. Businesses with NYC employees: Review the expanded ESSTA requirements carefully. Leave policies are where compliance and culture collide. When an employee is sick, dealing with a new pregnancy, or caring for a family member, they’re already stressed. Your response in that moment defines your culture. READ MORE: Understanding New York State’s Sick & Safe Leave and Paid Prenatal Personal Leave Laws The businesses that make leave easy to use, clearly explained, and genuinely supportive? Those are the businesses employees recommend to their friends. Those are the businesses people stay with. Those are places where employees come back to the office ready to do their best work. Framework: The “No Surprise” Leave Communication Plan Document it clearly. Make sure your employee handbook explains every type of leave available. Train your managers. They need to know how to respond supportively when someone requests leave. Communicate proactively. Don’t wait for employees to ask – let them know what’s available to them. Workplace Safety and Training What’s Changing: Annual sexual non-harassment training remains required for all employees OSHA Form 300A posting (February 1 – April 30, 2026) Industry-specific requirements may apply (retail, warehouse, airport workers) Your Action Steps: Schedule annual non-harassment training for your entire team. Post your OSHA summary on time. Review whether industry-specific safety requirements apply to your business. Do you have a Workplace Emergency Preparedness Plan? If so, do your employees know what to do if there is a workplace emergency, illness or injury? Training is key to creating an environment where people feel safe and know how to respond to and avoid injury. When you invest in quality workplace safety training, you’re telling your team you care about being a supportive workplace. It’s proof of your values in action. Postings, Recordkeeping, and Documentation What’s Changing: Updated minimum wage posters reflecting 2026 rates Electronic posting requirements (not optional – legally required) Consumer credit history ban takes effect April 18, 2026 Your Action Steps: Replace your minimum wage poster with the 2026 version if you haven’t already. Make sure all required posters are posted conspicuously and are available electronically (via website or email). Review your background check practices to remove requests for consumer credit history for most positions. Maintain required records (pay stubs, wage notices, training documentation). This might seem like the most “administrative” section, but it matters. Accurate records protect both your business and your employees. When someone has a question about their pay, their leave balance, or their training history, you can answer it confidently. That responsiveness builds trust. It shows you’re organized, and you care about getting things right. Checklist: Records You Need to Maintain ☐ Wage notices (signed by employees) – This proves you informed employees of their pay rate at the time of hiring. Absence of this proof can cost $50 per day per employee. ☐ Pay stubs (6 years) – Required by law and your first defense against wage theft claims. Missing stubs can cost $250 per day per employee. ☐ Time and attendance records (6 years) – Needed to prove you paid overtime correctly and tracked leave properly. ☐ Harassment training completion records (3+ years) – Employers with NYC employees must produce these on request. If you don’t have records, the presumption is you didn’t complete training for a certain year. ☐ Job postings with salary ranges – Evidence you complied with pay transparency requirements. ☐ OSHA injury/illness logs – Federal requirement with separate federal penalties for non-compliance. Making Compliance Part of Your Workplace Culture You can check every box on a compliance list and still have employees who feel unsupported. The difference is in how you implement these legal requirements. Three questions to ask about each compliance requirement: Have we explained this clearly to our team? Do they understand what’s available to them and how to access it? Have we trained our managers? Do the people making day-to-day decisions know how to handle requests supportively? Are we tracking this accurately? Can we answer employee questions with confidence? When you can answer “yes” to all three, you’ve made compliance part of your culture. From Checklist to Competitive Advantage If you’re reading this checklist and feeling the weight of everything on your plate, that’s completely understandable. You didn’t start your business to become an HR expert. You started it to serve customers, build something meaningful, and create jobs in your community. Businesses that can successfully turn compliance into culture typically do two things: They build simple systems that make compliance requirements easier to track and implement. They work with partners who help them stay ahead of changes instead of constantly reacting to them. What’s one compliance requirement from this list that could become a trust-building moment with your team this year? Start there. Make it easy. Make it clear. Make it supportive. Then build from there. At Employer Services Corporation, we’ve spent over 30 years helping Buffalo businesses navigate exactly these challenges. Our team of HR business partners and compliance officers keeps track of the ever-changing regulations, so you don’t have to. We help you implement requirements in ways that support your team and strengthen your culture. Whether you partner with us or handle compliance internally, consider this: what if these requirements became your baseline for supporting people, not your ceiling? This is part of the journey to turning HR into a competitive advantage for your business.