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…

With the advent of the Me Too Movement and the extensive number of harassment complaints that have been played out in the public forum by the news media, an Employer, on a daily basis, can be confronted with an internal harassment complaint that requires prompt and accurate action by the Employer. Since the Complaint allegedly…

On June 2, 2019, the Illinois General Assembly approved the Workplace Transparency Act providing certain protections concerning sexual harassment in the workplace and imposing significant new obligations on Illinois Employers. This Bill was signed into law by Governor Pritzker in June 2019 and the provision of the new bill become effective January 1, 2020. The…

On February 15, 2019, a proposed bill was introduced in the Illinois House by State Representative Ann M. Williams. This legislation is called the Restaurant Anti-Harassment Act. As of March 29, 2019, this bill is pending before the Rules Committee. What would the Restaurant Anti-Harassment Act REQUIRE? · Restaurants would be required to have an…

It remains an unfortunate, though persistent, stereotype in our society that women who advance in the workplace, especially those who do so rapidly and have a male superior, do so not by merit, but rather, because of a sexual relationship with their superior. In other words, they only obtained the position because they are “sleeping…

Last month I wrote that conduct that is sexual in nature does not necessarily constitute sexual harassment unless it is directed at a person because of his or her sex. But what about conduct that is not necessarily sexual in nature, but really creepy? In other words, can stalking be considered sexual harassment, even if…

Wait, what? If the conduct directed at an employee is sexual in nature or has sexual connotations, doesn’t that automatically make it unlawful sexual harassment? Not necessarily. In Smith v. Rosebud Farm, Inc., Case No. 17-2626 (7th Cir. Aug. 02, 2018), the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, which governs Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, recently revisited…

On Friday, August 10, 2018, Governor Rauner signed two new legislative measures in the attempt to end sex harassment at the Capitol and elsewhere. House Bill 4243 takes effect immediately and forbids tax dollars to be used to settle sex harassment claims. The goal is to prevent lawmakers and their staff from using public monies…