Today is a big day for workers in Illinois and Chicago! The Illinois minimum wage has increased for the second time since January and Chicago’s Fair Workweek Ordinance is also in effect beginning today. We hope that these changes will help provide financial stability to hard working employees throughout our city and state!

As a part of a multi year-plan to …

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To simplify things for employees looking for guidance and answers in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, we’ve put together a COVID-19 resource page on our site.  We’ll keep it active on the website as long as the information remains useful, and we will update it regularly to ensure you have access to the most up to date answers and …

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An unprecedented number of employees have found themselves needing unemployment benefits during this time of crisis.  Many employees we have talked with have been temporarily laid off or “furloughed” but expect to return to work.  Others, still, have lost their jobs entirely.  The Illinois Department of Employment Security has published a list of Frequently Asked Questions that is helpful in …

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In follow up to our Coronavirus Q&A for Employees from earlier this week, we wanted to tackle some FAQs from healthcare workers that are specific to the medical industry.

Doctors, nurses, techs and other healthcare workers are on the front line of the COVID-19 crisis and the medical industry is the quintessential “essential business” right now.  As a result, there are …

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We’ve received lots of questions from employees about the coronavirus and their rights under the new Coronavirus Response Act.  To say that things are murky right now would be an understatement.  It’s no wonder employees are confused.  Below are some answers to common questions:

Q: Can my employer force me to come into the workplace?

A:  It depends.  If you work in …

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In these tough times, most of what we are seeing in our newspapers and news feeds is negative and dark.  I won’t repeat the staggering numbers and scary predictions here because we’ve all seen them.  Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to share some uplifting news and to report on the remarkable steps some members of the business community …

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We’re in the midst of an unprecedented crisis in the world and an unexpected interruption in our lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a time of uncertainty, anxiety, worry and stress as we navigate social distancing, working remotely, homeschooling and being forced to stay in our homes. And many people are facing the added stress of losing their …

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For those bored at home and needing a little “light” reading, the EEOC has issued Covid-19 guidance for employees and has also updated its 2009 Pandemic in the Workplace Guidance (who knew there was such guidance?)  These two pieces basically explain how the EEOC anticipates the Americans with Disabilities Act applying to Covid-19 situations in the workplace and answers some …

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Congress passes Coronavirus Response Act to help employees weather this storm.

In addition to changing the way we work, the coronavirus has also created tension and unease (to put it mildly) for employees and business owners everywhere.  The fact that we are all in this together does little to ease the mind of an employee worrying about losing her job or …

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I love reading books and listening to podcasts about workplace happiness.  I am fascinated by the microcosms that are our offices and what makes people happy or unhappy in them.  In our business, we see a lot of what makes people unhappy.  Oftentimes the issues our clients come to us with are blatant (discrimination, retaliation, etc) but, other times, we …

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