Workers Classification – Employees or Independent Contractors Independent Contractor or Employee? As a business owner or an employer, when you hire a new worker, you will be reintroduced to the question – should you classify the worker as an employee or an independent contractor? In order to make this huge…
Generally speaking, illegal immigrants have the same protections under labor laws as American citizens, with some minor exceptions. Minimum Wage Laws: addition to federal laws, each state has its own minimum wage requirements; where federal and state laws differ, the higher wage applies. Minimum wage laws apply to all workers the…
In case you missed it, on June 21 the Supreme Court of the United States passed a judgment that states were now allowed to impose taxes on online sales. This overrules its previous decision to rule out tax collection on stores that did not have a physical presence in that state.…
By Misty J. Cygan, Attorney at Law Aileron is a trained emotional support dog. Business owners and their customers are perfectly used to service dogs who assist people with disabilities in getting around and performing daily tasks. But newer on the animal assistance front—and more murkily defined—are emotional support animals,…
A proposed federal rule change that would allow owners of restaurants, bars and other businesses whose employees receive tips to distribute those gratuities as they see fit would add flexibility for employers—but might raise questions in the minds of customers. Those who agree with the Mr. Pink character from “Reservoir…
Have you thought about or bolstered your cybersecurity lately? Because while government agencies, corporations and banks might be the top targets of would-be cyber attackers, small businesses need to make sure they’re protected, too, lest hackers succeed in their attempts to intrude and, in some form or fashion, monetize their…
The growth of e-commerce and the resulting physical distance between parties in various transactions, along with advances in technology more broadly, have helped lead to the rise of online dispute resolution, a digital offshoot of traditional alternative dispute resolution that provides greater efficiency and convenience to the parties involved. While…
The burgeoning science of biometrics both excites and unnerves people, the subject of both a razzle-dazzle upgrade in the new iPhone X and a growing body of privacy-related litigation in Illinois stemming from the 2008 passage of the Biometric Information Privacy Act. That law requires companies using biometric data—which includes…
Should your small business be dealing in the online currencies (“cryptocurrencies”) like Bitcoin? What are they, anyway, and what are the risks and benefits? Bitcoin is what’s known as a “cryptocurrency,” a digital coin that buyers and sellers of goods and services can use to undertake transactions over the Internet…
It’s the holiday season: time for small businesses to plan their annual parties and give employees a chance to celebrate, unwind and get to know one another better, right? The correct answer is yes, but. But you need to make sure that employees understand they are still at a work-related…