New Laws, New Year Part 2 Illinois small businesses need to get up to speed on a variety of state legislation passed in the previous session that came online on January 1. We covered several new provisions in a post last week, including a higher state minimum wage and legislation…
Articles Posted in Cook County Employers
Illinois Employers Face Raft of New Laws in New Year
Illinois Employers Face New Laws 2025 Guest Author: Kelsey Feucht, Associate Attorney with Bellas & Wachowski Illinois small businesses need to get up to speed on a variety of state legislation – particularly employment laws – which became effective on January 1. Key new laws (or amendments to existing legislation)…
How to Keep Workplace Parties Festive and Harassment-Free This Holiday Season
Holiday Business Parties With the holiday season in full swing, workplaces often become the site of parties, gift exchanges, and other festive activities. These activities foster camaraderie among coworkers and allow teams to celebrate their accomplishments. Unfortunately, though, they can also sometimes lead to inappropriate behavior, including sexual harassment, which…
Make Sure Non-Disclosure Agreements Don’t Stymie Whistleblowing
Make Sure Non-Disclosure Agreements Don’t Stymie Whistleblowing Small businesses who enter into non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with employees need to ensure that those documents clearly delineate that they will not be used to discriminate against those who engage in “whistleblower” activity—or such employers could potentially face unpleasant regulatory consequences. This was…
Employer Paying for Employees’ Transit Costs?
Transit Benefits Required for Illinois Employers Another wrinkle for employers in the Chicago area. Businesses located in the six-county Chicago area near public transit routes operated by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) that have at least 50 employees will be required as of Jan. 1, 2024, to provide their full-time…