The typical job applicant will put their credentials on a job application or resume and the employer has to decipher through the job interview and background review process whether the credentials accurately reflect the applicant’s abilities and maybe more importantly, whether the applicant is a good fit for the company.
Employment Law
Service Animals and the Americans With Disabilities Act
We often see people with service dogs on the street, in the stores, and on trains and it appears as if the number is growing. People with disabilities use a service dog in order to fully participate in everyday life. Service animals perform tasks such as helping a vision impaired individual get around, to alerting […]
All Employers Need To Know About The National Labor Relations Act
Employers too often take the approach that they do not have to worry about the National Labor Relations Act, most commonly called the NLRA, because they are not a ‘union shop.’ It is a short-sighted view. While the NLRA is most-often applied to protect union activities, employees who are not represented by a union also […]
Sexual Harassment In The Workplace
New allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace appear in the headlines daily now. We have all heard the reports about Harvey Weinstein, former president George H. W. Bush and now Matt Lauer.
The ADA Does Not Entitle Employees To Long Term Leave
A long-term leave of absence is not a reasonable accommodation under the Americans With Disabilities Act (“ADA”) , at least according to the Seventh Circuit. On September 20, 2017, the Seventh Circuit in Severson v. Heartland Woodcraft, Inc. held that an employee who needs a long term leave is not a qualified individual with a […]
No Age Discrimination When Older Employees Terminated Based on Insurance Reasons
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a suit accusing Indiana’s Lake County of violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act by firing workers over the age of 65 whose insurance premiums threatened to destroy its budget. The court determined the age of the workers was incidental to their […]
EEOC SETTLES DREADLOCK CASE AS A PROTECTED RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION
A common workplace dispute involves dress code polices and deviations from dress and grooming standards. These disputes often result in a religious discrimination suit claiming violation of a protected religious expression.
Illinois Employers Can Be Liable for Heinous Crimes Committed by Their Supervisor Off Premises
An employer can be sued for a supervisor’s murder and rape of one of its employees, which took place while the employee was with the supervisor at an out-of-state wedding, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals held in the recent case of Anicich v. Home Depot, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 5202. The liability hinged on […]
Illinois Has Already Amended its Employee Sick Leave Act
On January 1, 2017, the Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act went into effect. It requires employers to allow employees to use their personal sick leave benefits for absences due to an illness, injury or medical appointment of the employee’s child, spouse, sibling, parent, mother-in-law, father-in-law, grandchild, grandparent or stepparent. The same terms would apply as […]
2017 Employment Case to Watch – Seventh Circuit Court To Rule On Sexual Orientation Discrimination Claim
Neither the US Supreme Court nor any federal circuit appellate court has held that discrimination based on sexual orientation is prohibited by Title VII. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The Seventh Circuit, as well as several other Appellate Courts, have long held that Title VII does […]