Protecting Employers Since 1985

For Employers: Coronavirus Leaves and Consequences; Lawful Emergency Payroll Reductions

By Jennifer Adams Murphy / March 19, 2020

Employers are scrambling to find an equitable and lawful plan to manage reduced or eliminated revenue resulting from mandated closures, illnesses, and quarantines and to understand newly enacted laws. On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). With respect to employment concerns, the FFRCA provides for expanded coverage under…

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Employers: EEOC Guidelines regarding Covid-19

By Jennifer Adams Murphy / March 17, 2020

The EEOC has issued the following guidance regarding the difficult issues facing employers in their efforts to identify and control Covid-19. While the ADA still, of course, applies to employers’ conduct, limited exceptions have been made to allow employers to, for example, take employees’ temperatures to identify those who may have the virus. The guidelines…

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COVID-19 Advisory from the Wessels Sherman Task Force

By Anthony J. Caruso Jr. / March 12, 2020

By its very nature, COVID-19 (coronavirus) presents a rapidly changing, and thus confusing, landscape for employers. Often employers are presented with damned if you do, damned if you don’t, scenarios. Our experience has been that the best place to start your decision making is with the basics. While they sometimes may be vague and confusing,…

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Employers: Preparing for the Coronavirus/Covid-19

By Jennifer Adams Murphy / March 6, 2020

This flu season is here along with a very unwelcome relative: the coronavirus (covid-19). While the impact of the coronavirus in the United States is still unknown, the workplace, (like schools), are places where disease has an opportunity to easily spread; it has been estimated that each infected person will infect 2-3 more people. Scientists…

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Coronavirus – Next Test for Employers

By Walter J. Liszka / March 5, 2020

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) was originally detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Provence, China, in the early or midpart of 2019 and is now a respiratory disease that has been detected in over 50 locations internationally with at least 137 cases confirmed in the United States and four confirmed in the State of Illinois. In January of…

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Illinois Employers Beware! Don’t Take Your Employee’s Tips! It is Illegal Under Illinois Law

By Anthony J. Caruso Jr. / February 25, 2020

Effective January 1, 2020, the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act has been amended regarding employee tips/gratuities. The provisions of the law states as follows: Gratuities to the employees Property of the employees – not the employer. Gratuities must be paid to the employee not more than 13 days after the pay period; otherwise it…

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Finally! The Illinois Department Of Human Rights Has Posted Helpful Information About Their Upcoming Sexual Harassment Prevention Training Module!

By Nancy E. Joerg / February 21, 2020

Under the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act, ALL Illinois employers are now legally required to train every employee each calendar year. This new law became effective on January 1, 2020. By December 31, 2020, Illinois employers must have trained all their employees. Every employer with employees working in the State of Illinois (even if the employer…

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Illinois Equitable Restrooms Act

By Walter J. Liszka / February 17, 2020

As of January 1, 2020, all single occupancy-one person restrooms in a “place of public accommodation or public building” need to be identified as all-gender accessible and designated for use by no more than one person at a time or by a family unit. Simply stated, this means that the commonly used signage representing that…

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Union Organizing Update

By Richard H. Wessels / February 14, 2020

In the last year or so, we have seen a distinct uptick in union organizing activity. We have represented employers in quite a number of union organizing campaigns and we are on a nice winning streak! One strategy has been helpful and I will be glad to fill you in if any of our readers…

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Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act – What This Means For You

By Walter J. Liszka / January 25, 2020

The State of Illinois recently enacted legislation entitled the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act which took effect on January 1, 2020. Employers who use Artificial Intelligence to analyze videos of job applicants are subject to the requirements of this law. Artificial Intelligence interviewing is growing substantially in the Private Sector. A survey last year of…

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COVID-19 Resources

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