• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly
Connection failed: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] No such file or directory

Illinois

Spa manager’s personal style rubbed staff the wrong way

04/09/2008
Lisa Cristia worked as a massage therapist and later as a department manager for Red Door Spa in Chicago. She was fired for breaching the company’s rules of conduct, including using her position as a manager to coerce and harass employees. Cristia sued, alleging disability discrimination …

Dairy protests ads allegedly aimed at Congressional candidate

04/09/2008
Joe Oberweis, president of Oberweis Dairy of North Aurora, has filed an injunction to stop the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from airing ads accusing the company of employing illegal immigrants. Oberweis believes the ads are aimed at his father, Jim Oberweis, the Republican congressional candidate …

Pew report gives low grade to Illinois government

04/09/2008
The Washington, D.C.-based Pew Center recently released a report grading state governments on their general performance. Illinois scored a C on the report card. In keeping with contemporary sensibilities, this C did not mean average—it meant the bottom of the barrel …

$24M settlement ends Walgreens’ discrimination suit

04/09/2008
A federal judge has approved a settlement between Walgreens and a class of roughly 10,000 former and present employees who sued the retailer for race discrimination. The lawsuit alleged Deerfield-based Walgreens assigned black managers, management trainees and pharmacists to low-performing stores and denied them promotions based on their race …

Resist the temptation to misclassify employees as contractors

04/09/2008
You’re writing your unemployment insurance checks, paying workers’ compensation premiums and remitting payroll taxes to the government when a bright idea occurs to you: If only your employees were independent contractors, you wouldn’t have all these expenses. The Illinois General Assembly understood the appeal of that daydream—and took action to slap you back to reality …

Are background checks required in Illinois?

04/09/2008
Q. I have heard that Illinois law requires background checks for employees. Is this true? …

Are noncompetes enforceable on employees who have been fired?

04/09/2008
Q. In Illinois, do noncompete agreements apply even when someone is terminated, as opposed to resigning? …

Don’t let flawed noncompete agreement break the bank

04/01/2008
Lots of employers use noncompete agreements to protect against unfair competition from former employees. But a poorly drafted noncompete agreement—e.g., one you obtained from a form book or the Internet—may create serious legal pitfalls …

Beware using medical costs as employment factor

04/01/2008
It may be tempting to refuse to hire an applicant who could raise your health insurance costs. By the same token, it may seem like a good idea to terminate employees who keep filing expensive health insurance claims for themselves or their dependents. Don’t do it! The penalties for such discrimination can be high …

Reorganizing? Make sure open positions are available to all

04/01/2008
During a reorganization, lost jobs can mean unhappy former employees looking for reasons to sue. They may suspect the changes were merely a smokescreen to cover illegal discrimination. The best way to prevent a lawsuit is to open up to those who are slated for termination any new positions you may be creating. Encourage all to apply …