Illinois has passed a law that requires all single-occupancy public bathrooms be labeled as gender-neutral. The Equitable Restrooms Act, which takes effect on January 1, 2020, mandates that all single-occupancy restrooms “in a place of public accommodation or public building” to be identified as “all-gender and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or for family or assisted use…
Illinois’ New Tool Against Discriminatory Pay: The No Salary History Law
Governor Pritzker signed into law the No Salary History Law, which will advance equal pay in Illinois. The No Salary History Law will strengthen both the Federal Equal Pay Act and Illinois’ Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s past wages during the hiring process.
Which Pronoun Fits Your Employee?
I was recently at a seminar at a large university where the speaker stood at the podium and stated, “Hi, my name is… and the pronouns I most identify with are “ze, zirzirs.” The next speaker did the same, only this time the pronouns were “ze, hir and hirs.” A couple sitting next to me […]
ISERRA- New Illinois Military Leave Law Now in Effect
Illinois has a new law protecting Illinois service members’ employment rights while they are serving and protecting our country.
SMALL COMPANIES NEED TO KNOW THE EMPLOYMENT LAWS
Smaller companies often mistakenly believe that the state and federal employment discrimination laws do not apply to them because they are too small to be expected to know the laws or should not be held to the same standards of a larger company.
Employers Beware: Chicago Minimum Wage Increases in 2019
Chicago’s minimum wage is already the highest in the state and due to increase on July 1, 2019. Employers need to be ready for not only the overall increase in minimum wage, but also the commensurate increase in employee expectations and overtime that will go along with the Chicago minimum wage increase.
Illinois Employers Must Update Employee Reimbursement Policies by January 1, 2019
The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act has been amended to require reimbursement of employees expenses, which may include higher ticket items like cellular phones, cellular data service fees, home computers and internet provider fees for employees who are expected to work remotely and more travel expenses.
All Employers Need A Workplace Violence Policy or Plan
Employers need to be proactive in formulating a written policy for workplace violence. The news is replete with stories of workplace violence. A disgruntled ex-employee, coworker or spouse of an employee, or sometimes just a random customer or stranger walks in and violence breaks out.
Illinois Expanded Its ‘Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act’ to Require Paid Breaks for Nursing Moms
The Illinois Legislature recently approved amendments to the Nursing Mothers in the Workplace Act, 820 ILCS 260, changing nursing mothersunpaid breaks to paid. Under 820 ILCS 260, Section 10, any covered employer must provide paid breaks to mothers needing time to express breast milk:
Benefits of Binding Mediation as an Alternative Dispute Resolution
To most attorneys, alternative dispute resolution means resolving a case through either mediation or arbitration. A third rarely used Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is binding mediation. In the right situation, binding mediation may yield better results for all of the parties. In this article, we discuss the various alternative dispute resolution options and drill down […]