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 …

Read more ›

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 …

Read more ›

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 …

Read more ›

Kristin Case and Kate Sedey have once again been recognized by their peers and the Illinois Super Lawyers Association.  Ms. Case and Ms. Sedey were rated  “Super Lawyers” for their work in the field of employment and labor and for their work in litigating employment-related matters.  Kristin has now been recognized by Illinois Super Lawyers every year since 2010 and …

Read more ›

Today, August 22, 2019 marks Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Why does such a day exist? It’s not just another day on the calendar to be lost among the litany of National Siblings Day, National Ice Cream Day or the like.  Black Women’s Equal Pay Day represents the number of days in 2019 that black women in America have had …

Read more ›

More great news for workers in Illinois! Last week, Illinois passed legislation which prohibits employers from asking applicants about their pay history during the hiring process. The No Salary History law is an important step in closing the racial and gender wage gaps.

Before this law, employers could ask an applicant questions about their salary history. This helped to perpetuate lower …

Read more ›

After two long years of planning, advocacy, and negotiations, Chicago City Council has passed the Fair Workweek Ordinance.  The Ordinance protects employees from last minute shift changes and gives low wage earners some predictability in their schedules and, as a result, some degree of financial stability.  This is a huge win for Chicago’s employees and we are excited to see …

Read more ›

Chicago Pride 2019 is done, wrapping up a month-long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. This year’s Pride drew in record numbers of an estimated 100,000 people from all over the world, coming together to celebrate being themselves. However, while crowds came out in droves to show their support of the LGBT community, it is still important …

Read more ›

Employees can be the first line of defense against workplace violence but only if they know what to look for and what to do about it.

On February 15 an employee at an Aurora, Illinois manufacturing plant walked into work believing he was going to be fired that day.  Those of us in the Chicagoland area know what happened after that–he …

Read more ›

Early indicators say yes.

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of serving as a moderator at the American Bar Association’s 2019 National Symposium of Technology in Labor and Employment Law.  I moderated a panel of three brilliant lawyers talking about Artificial Intelligence in the workplace.  And, as those of us in attendance learned, it’s a brave new world out there.

A picture …

Read more ›