On Friday, August 9, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed SB 75, as part of a massive overhaul of employment laws that were passed by the Legislature earlier this year, and which we summarized previously. While requirements contained in this bill are extensive (and include the provisions of the Workplace Transparency Act and changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act, among other provisions), some of the key steps that will be required of private-sector employers before these new laws go into effect on January 1, 2020 include: 

• Revise handbooks, agreements, policies or other documents providing for employee confidentiality provisions to remove possible prohibitions against reporting “unlawful” conduct and also to address the broadened scope of the Illinois Human Rights Act’s protections. 

• Review employee agreements, severance agreements, and settlement contracts to be signed after January 1 that may contain provisions, such as confidentiality clauses or arbitration clauses, that may be invalid if implemented on a mandatory basis. 

• Implement an annual anti-harassment training program.