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On September 22, 2017, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed new legislation (effective July 1, 2018) called the Illinois Employee Misclassification Referral System Act. This law requires the Illinois Department of Labor to create an online misclassification referral system on the DOL website. As such, the misclassification complaint may be automatically referred to the Illinois Department…
Read MoreAn employee handbook provides communication between employer and employee. It sets forth the requirements for employees and notifies them what they can expect from your Company as to legal obligations along with employee rights. Also, a written Equal Employment Opportunity statement gives protection to employers. What should an employer consider in an employee handbook? Keep…
Read MoreGood news for Illinois employers! On August 13, 2018, Illinois Governor Rauner vetoed House Bill 4572. This proposed “anti-business” legislation would have expanded the definition of employers covered under the Illinois Human Rights Act with regard to employment discrimination of certain types (i.e., race, national origin, religion) from employers with 15 employees or more to…
Read MoreDid you Count Temp and Part-Time Employees? If you are a Company covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees are entitled to leave (either consecutive or intermittent) of up to 12 work weeks of leave in a 12 month period under certain circumstances. PLUS the Company must continue to pay the…
Read MoreSome Illinois employers may have neutral absenteeism policies that “administratively terminate” any employee who has failed to return to work from a medical leave of absence after a stated period of time such as one year or some other period of time set by the company. This kind of policy is not advisable because it…
Read MoreUnfortunately, claims of sexual harassment are happening everywhere in today’s society. Hollywood, Washington, DC and New York are prime examples. Illinois employers, don’t be naïve – it happens in Illinois too! What can an employer do to reduce the risk of sexual harassment claims? The key is sexual harassment prevention training. Simply having a written…
Read MoreTo the concern of many employers, on July 1, 2017 two new ordinances went into effect in the City of Chicago and Cook County. Employers are upset to learn that they are now required to give employees paid sick days. These ordinances can be confusing; below is a synopsis of the requirements of these two…
Read MoreToday, a number of small Illinois businesses use employee leasing companies to handle payroll, human resource matters, and workers’ compensation insurance on their workers for the convenience and cost savings. Previously, under the Illinois Leasing Company Act, the lessor (leasing Company) would be the party responsible for the workers’ compensation insurance coverage of the workers/employees…
Read MoreNew Law Affects Non-Compete Agreements for Employees earning less than $13 per hour Today, many employers use non-compete agreements to protect their company’s business. As such, the issue is always whether or not a non-compete agreement is enforceable for the Company. Now, in Illinois, there is a clear directive as to certain employees that the…
Read MoreToday, many employees face the dilemma of how to take time off from work to care for an ill family member and still be paid. Before this law, employees had to say they were sick (when they were not) in order to be off work to care for their family and still be paid. Or,…
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