Wheaton Employment Law Counseling & Litigation Lawyer

Employment Law Attorney Helping Employers Prevent and Resolve Employee Disputes in Wheaton, IL

Your employees can be your most valuable resource when things are running smoothly. You rely on them to keep your business operating every day. Even if you generally have a good relationship with your employees, disputes can still arise. It is not always obvious how Illinois's labor and employment laws apply to different situations you are likely to experience as an employer. Having an experienced employment law attorney you can rely on for advice, guidance, and defense if a legal dispute comes up is essential. JSL Law, LLC is highly skilled in working with small business owners to establish policies that protect the company and workforce alike and to respond appropriately to the types of legal situations that come up in workplaces.

Employment law can be extremely complex. You should be able to focus on business strategy and keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly instead of trying to navigate a complicated body of law. Attorney Alexander can give you ongoing advice on things like providing reasonable accommodations to pregnant or disabled workers, avoiding the appearance of unlawful retaliation, and preventing unintended discrimination that could lead to trouble in the future. It is also best to already have an attorney you trust should a civil dispute or legal challenge arise. You can rely on Attorney Alexander to guide you through each employment law challenge you might face as a business owner.

Balancing Worker Protections With Employer Rights

Just like most landlord-tenant laws favor the tenant, a lot of federal and state employment law tends to favor the employee. These laws are usually intended to protect employees, even when these protections can be detrimental to employers. JSL Law, LLC is committed to helping employers assert their rights and prevent bad actor employees from taking unreasonable advantage of employee protection laws.

Situations you are likely to encounter where your rights must be carefully balanced with employee protection laws include:

• Providing reasonable accommodations - While the law does require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to help pregnant workers and workers with disabilities perform their jobs, not every person can be accommodated in every position and not every accommodation that would enable an employee to work for you is considered reasonable. If you find that a requested accommodation would be unduly burdensome, you will need to speak to an attorney to see how you can address the situation.
• Covering FMLA leave - Having an employee take time off from work using FMLA can inconvenience an employer, but you have certain obligations to employees who need time off to manage a medical situation or welcome a new child.
• Hiring well - The hiring policies you put into practice in the beginning can shape your company. It is best to have guidance from an employment law attorney when you are filling open positions or deciding who to promote. Issues in the hiring process can create the appearance of unlawful discrimination - even eliminating all applicants with felony records could run afoul of Illinois's anti-discrimination laws.
• Anticipating unemployment claims - If your company downsizes at any point, you will likely need to handle unemployment claims. You may also need to defend yourself against unemployment claims filed by employees you fired for misconduct or who quit.
• Preventing and addressing harassment - You have certain responsibilities to keep your workplace free from harassment. If you notice a potential harassment issue, you may need to act promptly and decisively to prevent a hostile work environment from developing.
• Avoiding retaliation claims - When an employee has already taken certain legal actions against you, how you treat the employee is important. While it can be challenging to keep employing someone who has done something detrimental to your company, you will need to follow an attorney's advice to avoid a secondary retaliation claim.
• Following wage and hour laws - It can be very easy for an employer to not notice wage and hour violations, especially in the restaurant industry where certain laws like minimum wage requirements work differently. An employment law attorney can help you develop the right systems to prevent off-the-clock work, overtime violations, and other common wage and hour issues.
• Filing reports and obtaining certifications - Private-sector employers with at least 100 employees will need to file EEO-1 reports with the EEOC, providing information about the demographics of their employees. They will also need to obtain Equal Pay Certificates from the Illinois Department of Labor. A skilled lawyer can assist with these filings, ensuring that employers are abiding by the applicable laws regarding equal employment opportunity and discrimination.

Contact a Wheaton, Illinois Employment Law Counseling & Litigation Attorney

JSL Law, LLC understands that employment law disputes can happen to any employer. Experienced employment law attorney Jolianne Alexander will do all she can to help you prevent and address any employment disputes that may arise. Contact us at 630-730-8135 for a complimentary consultation.