Protecting Employers Since 1985
Illinois employers often believe that if an employee quits, that employee is not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. While this is generally true, many legal issues can arise that may muddy the waters. Let us look at the unemployment insurance law in Illinois with regard to voluntary leaving. Under Section 601 of the Illinois Unemployment…
Read MoreWhen firing an employee and the firing is for misconduct, it is extremely important to think through how you are going to prove the employee’s misconduct. Strategic planning prior to firing the employee is crucial. If you think through these issues thoroughly, your batting average at winning IDES misconduct Hearings will go up dramatically.
Read MoreThere is no legal requirement that an Illinois employer must have an Employee Handbook. However, most Illinois employers do have an Employee Handbook because 1) it is a convenient way to distribute the employer’s policies to its employees and 2) there are certain legal protections that having an Employee Handbook brings to an employer. In…
Read MoreOne of the most frequent questions that Illinois companies have asked me over the years is, “Why me?” They want to know why the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has selected their company to be audited. IDES auditors have a legitimate and important function: to make sure that Illinois employers are paying their fair…
Read MoreEmployers often like to use Severance and Release Agreements when terminating employees because this process brings closure to what could be a potentially litigious situation. A Severance and Release Agreement is a contractual exchange between the two parties: the employer and the employee who is being let go. The employer gives the employee severance (money…
Read MoreWhen companies are suddenly audited by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES), these audited companies start out assuming that they are “innocent until proven guilty” on the independent contractor issue. WRONG! The legal requirement for an audited company using independent contractors is that the company is presumed by the IDES to be the legal…
Read MoreWe are seeing Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) audits starting to resume! When an Illinois company who uses independent contractors is audited by the IDES, the company often thinks they are “innocent until proven guilty” on the independent contractor issue. WRONG! WORKERS ARE PRESUMED TO BE EMPLOYEES: The legal requirement for a company using…
Read MoreWe now know the basic outline of how the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will process independent contractor unemployment insurance claims. The IDES issued a press release on May 5, 2020 about 1099 workers who have lost work due to COVID-19. The IDES press release states: “Workers who believe they may be eligible for…
Read MoreUNDERSTANDING THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SYSTEM IN AMERICA: Unemployment insurance benefits in the United States started in Wisconsin in 1932. Then came the Social Security Act of 1935 in which the U.S. Federal government encouraged individual states to adopt unemployment insurance plans. In today’s world, the unemployment insurance system across America is run differently in each…
Read MoreAs I write this article in the COVID-19 era with the purpose of assisting Illinois companies who use independent contractors, things are moving rapidly in terms of new federal laws, regulations and state guidelines. Changes are occurring at the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) with shocking speed! NEW REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES CHANGING ALMOST WEEKLY:…
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