Last June, we provided information about the new Chicago sexual harassment training requirements pursuant to the amended Chicago Human Rights Ordinance (Chicago Municipal Code 6-10). At the time, the City indicated that the...more
Shortly after beginning his second term, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Paid Leave for All Workers Act (“PLAW”), adding Illinois to a still small but growing list of states which require employers to offer paid leave to...more
The Chicago City Council recently amended the Chicago Municipal Code with respect to sexual harassment in the workplace. Failure to comply with these amendments, which take effect on July 1, 2022, could result in daily...more
As employers make plans to modify pandemic-related work-from-home arrangements and require employees to come into the workplace, many have wrestled with “the vaccination status question.” Should employers ask employees...more
6/15/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
Restrictions on inquiring into, or using, criminal history information are not new to Illinois employers. For years, Illinois employers been precluded from using an applicant’s arrest history when making hiring or other...more
As employers prepare their “Return To Work” plans, clear communications to employees about protocols and expectations will be critically important. Recent updates to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)...more
6/24/2020
/ ADEA ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rehabilitation Act ,
Workplace Safety
In light of concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus in the workplace, employers are confronting important questions pertaining to the screening of employees for COVID-19 symptoms, including as it pertains to taking...more
Illinois employers must begin preparing now for the host of new legal requirements impacting the workplace beginning in 2020. With legal changes on topics ranging from hiring practices and pay equity to drug testing and...more
9/20/2019
/ Amended Legislation ,
Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Human Rights Act ,
Military Service Members ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Employers are not obligated to tolerate employee misuse of FMLA leave. Examples abound in which an employer learns – often through an employee’s social media posts or through information from an employee’s co-workers – that...more
It is not uncommon for employees to ask whether they can first use paid time off available under the employer’s leave policies and “save” their unpaid - and protected - Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave entitlement...more
Over the past half century, employers have made great strides in protecting employees and applicants from conscious bias on the basis of race, gender, age and other protected characteristics. But what about unconscious – or...more
In a word: Yes. In fact, there are many.
The most notable obligation under the Family and Medical Leave Act – the obligation to provide protected leave for a qualifying reason – does not apply until the employee has become...more
When an employee goes out on continuous (not intermittent) leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (or analogous state law), the employer must decide whether to turn off the employee’s email access during the leave. If...more
This article is the last part of a six-part series. The purpose of this series is to provide tips and identify potential pitfalls associated with the drafting of an employee handbook....more
This article is part five in a six-part series. The purpose of this series is to provide tips and identify potential pitfalls associated with the drafting of an employee handbook....more
This article is part four in a six-part series. The purpose of this series is to provide tips and identify potential pitfalls associated with the drafting of an employee handbook....more
This article is part three in a six-part series. The purpose of this series is to provide tips and identify potential pitfalls associated with the drafting of an employee handbook....more
This week the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision helpful to employers grappling with whether they must extend an employee’s time off following the expiration of Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave as a...more
Although employers are generally prohibited from obtaining medical information about their employees, they are permitted to do so in certain circumstances, including when such information is necessary to evaluate a job...more
By now, you’re likely aware (and if you’re not, you should be) that, in April, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”)issued a new “Employee Rights Under The Family And Medical Leave Act” poster, to replace the prior poster on...more