Telecommuting increased close to 80 percent just between 2005 and 2012, and an estimated 30 million people now report working from home at least once per week. App Developer Magazine featured an interesting article recently on how dynamics in the workplace are changing as more and more people are telecommuting, and how this changes employment law as it relates to employer-employee relationships…
All of us expect to be treated with dignity and respect at our place of employment and state and federal laws protect us from discriminatory action by our employers. Employment laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, and genetic information. Workplace Discrimination Furthermore, employees may not be retaliated against for making good faith…
Along with negotiations over salary and benefits, employees may also bargain over non-compete clauses, which may limit their ability to work for “competitors” should they choose to move on from the company. Prospective employees should understand Illinois has laws pertaining to these agreements and restriction that may make them unreasonable and unenforceable. The ultimate decision of whether the agreement is…
An Orland Park man recently filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against an area Chick-Fil-A restaurant alleging the fast food company denied him employment due to his disability despite references vouching for his capabilities. The claim, filed on December 23, 2016, claims the plaintiff’s work coach spoke with the restaurant about hiring the man but was told the eatery was not interested in…
New legislation recently took effect allowing certain ex-offenders to work in state institutions like schools and park districts a certain amount of years after their conviction and jail terms. Like many other laws taking effect this year, the law is a significant and progressive move designed at strengthening the power workers have to help provide for themselves and their families during difficult…
In 2017, more than 200 new laws are set to take effect in Illinois, many of them aimed at improving the quality of life for workers across the state and aid in their upward mobility in a rapidly changing economy. However, one law slated to take effect early this year has been pushed back to 2018 to allow businesses to prepare and…
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. settled an employment discrimination case with a former store clerk for $75,000 over allegations the company failed to accommodate a protected class. The plaintiff, a worker in the Hodgkins, Illinois store, battled cancer and needed simple, modest accommodations to allow her to perform her job but the defendant subsequently rescinded…
Six former temp workers for the Chicago office of a nationwide staffing agency recently filed an employment discrimination lawsuit alleging the defendant routinely passed over African American workers in favor of Hispanic workers. The suit, filed in a Chicago federal District Court, alleges many of the same labor law violations as another recent suit against another large staffing agency in Illinois. In…
In what is already shaping up to be a big year for Illinois workers rights, 2017 will bring expanded workplace privacy protections to keep employers from accessing sensitive information about their workers. On January 1, 2017, the Illinois Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act (IRPWA) goes into effect to affirm these new protections and make personal online accounts off limits from companies.…
If you are a contractor or subcontractor in the state of Illinois, you should be aware of the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, which pertains to wages for construction workers, laborers, and mechanics on public works. Understanding the Act is important, as even unintentional violations of the law could have severe impacts on the economic health of a business and even prevent it from…