Our Blog: Practical Tips

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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An incident regarding Ivy League students behaving poorly on social media serves as a cautionary tale for employees about the limits of off duty privacy.

Last month, multiple news outlets reported that Harvard revoked the acceptances of ten incoming students after they posted offensive comments on social media.  This is a reminder that oftentimes we do not have the rights to off …

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Questions about Politics in the Workplace Raised in the Aftermath of the Election

In the wake of last week’s contentious Presidential election, political conversation has engulfed us. And the conversation is fiery.  People are sharing passionate views with each other from all sides of the electorate and in every forum where they can be heard, including raising discussions about …

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The Legal Drawbacks of Quitting

To an employee in a bad work environment, quitting seems like an appealing option. Maybe a new boss has joined the company and is stifling your opportunity to advance, holding you to unrealistic expectations, subjecting you to unjustified performance scrutiny, or some combination of any or all of the above.  Maybe a coworker or supervisor is …

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An Employee’s Guide to Chicago’s New Paid Sick Leave Ordinance

We are thrilled to report that Chicago has joined the growing ranks of local governments ensuring paid sick leave for local employees!  This is a huge victory for single parents and low wage workers who, prior to this ordinance, were regularly faced with the awful risk of losing pay or, worse …

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Best Practices for Gathering Evidence in Support of Employment Claims

Legal considerations before job hopping becomes a habit

These days job hopping amongst employees is commonplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average employee stays in a particular job for only 4.4 years.  Employees born between the years of 1977 and 1997 will have up to 15 to 20 jobs in their lifetime.  The trends become even more pronounced …

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Why you should actually read your employment agreement before you sign!

We recently had an employment agreement related issue arise here at the firm that reminded me how unequal the bargaining power can be in employment relationships. A very large Bank here in Chicago slipped into an equity incentive agreement-a provision which altered the statute of limitations for our …

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Making a formal internal complaint of inappropriate conduct in the workplace can be a scary proposition. So many employees are worried about whether they will be taken seriously, whether they’ll be perceived as a whiner or overly-sensitive, and – perhaps most scary of all – whether they will be retaliated against or pushed out of the workplace for taking a …

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Notes for Employees Who Have Been Notified that They’re Being Fired