SimplyHR | Employment & Labor Blog 

The Illinois legislature recently passed the Paid Leave for All Workers (PLFAW) Act, which will require most Illinois employers to provide their employees working in Illinois with up to 40 hours of paid leave they can take for any reason during a designated 12-month period. Once signed by Governor Pritzker, the PLFAW Act will become effective on January 1, 2024.

Greensfelder Officer Scott Cruz authored an article on the “quiet quitting” phenomenon that has been permeating workplaces nationwide in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article, titled “How to Address and Remedy Quiet Quitting in the Workplace,” was published in the fourth-quarter edition of The Illinois Manufacturer.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a new poster titled "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" that all covered employers are required to display in the workplace.

Amendments Cover Pregnancy or Adoption-Related Losses, Deaths of Additional Family Members

On June 9, 2022, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law amendments to the Child Bereavement Leave Act, which take effect January 1, 2023. Among other notable changes, the amendments change the name of the Child Bereavement Leave Act to the Family Bereavement Leave Act, expand the definition of “covered family member,” and expand unpaid bereavement leave time requirements for eligible employees to cover pregnancy loss, failed adoptions, unsuccessful reproductive procedures, and other diagnoses or events impacting fertility and pregnancy.

The Chicago City Council recently adopted an ordinance amending the city’s anti-sexual harassment laws. This, among other things, revises the definition of sexual harassment to include sexual misconduct; requires Chicago employers to establish, post and distribute to employees a written anti-sexual harassment policy and display a poster advising employees of the prohibition of sexual harassment; enhances training requirements for employees and managers, including additional training on how bystanders who witness sexual harassment in the workplace should respond; and imposes stricter penalties for violations. The written policy, written notice, and required training components of the ordinance go into effect July 1, 2022.

A strong push continues for states to adopt stricter pay equity laws and enforce efforts to combat pay inequities for certain protected classes, including women and individuals of color. Many states, including Illinois, have prioritized pay equity by passing laws designed to reduce wage gaps.

The Chicago City Council recently passed Ordinance No. 02021-2182 (the Ordinance), which, among other things, expands the permissible bases to take leave under the Chicago Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (PSLO) and creates new wage theft protections for employees. The paid sick leave amendments take effect on August 1, 2021, while the wage theft provisions went into effect on July 5, 2021.

A new Ordinance in the city of Chicago will prohibit Chicago employers from firing or disciplining workers who leave work to get a COVID-19 vaccine during the workers’ normally scheduled work hours. The Chicago City Council unanimously approved the Ordinance on April 21, 2021, and the Ordinance goes into effect immediately.

On March 23, 2021, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 1480, the Employee Background Fairness Act. This impacts certain Illinois employers because it imposes new reporting and registration requirements concerning employee demographics and pay under the Illinois Business Corporation Act (IBCA) and the Illinois Equal Pay Act (IEPA), and creates new whistleblower anti-retaliation protections under the IEPA. The amendments take effect immediately.

On March 23, 2021, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law Senate Bill 1480, the Employee Background Fairness Act. This impacts Illinois employers because it imposes new obligations under the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) on the way they can use criminal convictions to assess employment eligibility for applicants and current employees. It also imposes new reporting and registration requirements concerning employee demographics under the Illinois Business Corporation Act (IBCA) and the Illinois Equal Pay Act (IEPA) and creates new whistleblower anti-retaliation protections under the IEPA.