IL Passes Law Restricting Non-Competes and Non-Solicitation Agreements

On August 13, 2021 Illinois Governor Pritzker signed into law broad restrictions on employee non-competes and non-solicitation agreements. The non-solicit restrictions apply to employer’s customers, as well as other employees. The new law applies to agreements executed with an employee on or after January 1, 2022. As of that date, the law bans: Non-competes with […]
Updated OSHA Guidance to Continue Workplace Health and Safety Measures

On August 13, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its guidance for all employers to reflect the CDC’s July 27, 2021 recommendations on masks and testing for fully-vaccinated individuals. As with the prior guidance on COVID-19, this updated OSHA guidance is not a standard or regulation and creates no new legal obligations. […]
Dane County Face Covering Emergency Order

Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) has issued a new Public Health Order, effective August 19, 2021 through September 16, 2021. The new order requires individuals to wear face masks indoors, employers to develop a policy providing and requiring face masks, and organizations to post a sign mandating face masks indoors. To address the […]
From: Wisconsin Technology Council

Sheila Conroy weighs in on some of the legal considerations involved with this issue. Source: InsideWis: To compel worker vaccinations or not: Businesses may be forced to choose | Wisconsin Technology Council
Increased Fines for Not Posting Employment Posters

The federal government recently increased the fines employers may face for violating federal employment law posting requirements. Going forward, the potential posting fines are: Family and Medical Leave Act – $178 Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law – $13,653 Employee Polygraph Protection Act – $21,663 EEO is the Law – $576 Employers should also […]
HR Reporting Updates

There have been two important employer reporting updates for Human Resource practitioners. First, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced an extension of the deadline for submission of 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Collection to Monday, August 23, 2021. Please see Lake Effect’s prior blog on EEO-1 reporting requirements for more information. Second, […]
Wisconsin Communities’ Face Covering Requirements Expiring

Outagamie County, Dane County, and the city of Milwaukee have joined the growing list of communities across the country that are lifting their mask and other COVID-related public health orders. Outagamie County lifted its face mask requirements on May 13, 2021. Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) announced on May 18, 2021 that its […]
DOL Withdraws Final Rule on Independent Contractor Status under FLSA

On May 5, 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced a new final rule withdrawing the “Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act” final rule (Independent Contractor Rule) that had been published on January 7, 2021, to take effect on March 8, 2021. Of note, the DOL is not issuing new federal guidance […]
Major Provisions of Final Tip Pool Rule Become Effective April 30, 2021

Three main provisions of the US Department of Labor’s final tip pool rule take effect April 30, 2021. Other parts of the rule are delayed and could be further revised by the Biden Administration. For a complete discussion of the final rule, issued on December 22, 2020, please see Lake Effect’s prior blog on this […]
Call to Action: New COBRA Notices Due Soon

On April 12, 2021, Lake Effect HR & Law posted a blog notifying our readers about new COBRA provisions under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). We encourage employers who are federal or state COBRA covered employers to take prompt action, as deadlines for notices are upon us. Starting April 1, 2021, employers […]