Ep. 45 - Illinois’ New Employment Laws of 2026
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
Release Date: 01/15/2026
Episode 53 – Can I Be Harassed at Work by AI?
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
AI technology is progressing rapidly, and with it comes an unfortunate increase in AI harassment claims. Before the law can catch up with the exponential growth of these tools, it's up to employers to ensure their workplaces are protected from any harmful usage. Between recent headlines and even their own casework, Mary Charlton and Christina Hynes Mesco are staying up to date with AI harassment claims that pop up at work. As employment attorneys who work with both employers and employees, they're approaching this...
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Episode 52 – What Will a New Bill Change for Student Athletes?
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
The question of whether student athletes should be recognized as employees has long been debated, especially with colleges and universities generating billions of dollars in revenue each year through their sports programs. Now, a proposed bill titled the "Protect College Sports Act" may finally address this issue. Mary Charlton and James Rogers aren't just employment attorneys—they're both well-versed in the world of sports. In the inaugural episode of their "Off the Bench" series unpacking issues that exist at the intersection of sports and...
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Ep. 51 – What the Bears Teach Us About Negotiating on Home Turf
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
As football season slowly approaches, the question of where the Chicago Bears will build their new home stadium remains unanswered, and it might surprise you how this debate is relevant to you in the workplace. At first glance, the NFL and employment may not have much in common. But beneath the headlines and speculation lies an important lesson relevant to both spaces: how to negotiate well, no matter what’s at stake. Prinz partner Kristen Prinz and paralegal supervisor Christina Martinez are all too...
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Ep. 50 – Is Your Communication Style Working in the Workplace?
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
Most problems in the workplace likely boil down to issues with communication, whether it’s an employee misunderstanding instructions or a supervisor's feedback not landing in the right way. These inconsistencies in communication are what often lead to legal risk. Your communication style is both how you prefer to receive information and how you deliver it. By understanding how we and how our colleagues or clients communicate, we can better achieve our ultimate goals. In this episode, Prinz partner Katie...
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Ep. 49 – What Free Speech at Work Really Looks Like
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
Free speech in the workplace isn’t exactly what it sounds like: rather than a broad, unlimited protection that allows all employees to say whatever they want, protections vary depending on the type of employer and the specific circumstances. With social media blurring the lines between work life and personal life, whether our speech online or “off the clock” is protected under free speech laws also makes this a very topical conversation. As employment and business attorneys, Hannah Savaso and Rebecca Baba have a strong...
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Ep. 48 – What Can We Learn from Noma's Abuse Controversy?
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
What happens when a prestigious restaurant comes under fire for workplace abuse? A recent New York Times article revealed that dozens of former employees at Noma, an award-winning restaurant in Copenhagen founded by chef Rene Redzepi, endured extreme physical and mental harassment and were threatened with being blacklisted if they spoke up. While employment counselors Kristen Prinz and Mary Charlton don’t work in the restaurant industry, they do have plenty of experience helping employees who have found...
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Ep. 47 – An Attorney Guide to Using AI Responsibly
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
AI is becoming increasingly prominent in all kinds of industries, and the legal field is no exception. For lawyers, using AI can streamline processes and reduce billing for clients, but it can also pose risks to confidentiality and damage an attorney’s reputation if mistakes aren’t caught. Some attorneys have even seen potential clients use AI to build their own case before they’ve secured representation. In this episode, business counselors Christina Hynes Mesco and Lee...
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Ep. 46 - Did the EEOC Just Change the Definition of Harassment?
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
In January of 2026, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) voted to rescind its Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, an over-200-page document from the Biden-era EEOC that aimed to interpret what constitutes “workplace harassment" under federal law. But what does it mean that this guidance has been removed? Is harassment now lawful? Are things that were considered to be harassment no longer illegal? How should workplaces navigate future harassment...
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Ep. 45 - Illinois’ New Employment Laws of 2026
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
From increased workplace transparency to paid nursing breaks to background check requirements, many new laws and updates to existing legal framework are set to go into effect in Illinois at the start of 2026. As employment attorneys, Katie Rinkus and Hannah Savaso are here to help you stay on top of the biggest changes. In this episode, we’ll walk you through what’s changing and what both employees and businesses should be aware of heading into the new year. Tune in...
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Ep. 44 – You vs. You: The Art of Negotiating Your New Year’s Resolutions
Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges
New Year’s resolutions are more than just a fun thing for us to think about every January. In fact, they’re a form of internal negotiation that has the potential to impact our lives and the lives of the people around us – and Kristen Prinz and Amit Bindra are here to help you make the most of the new year. Whether we want to make a career change, get more exercise, or achieve some other goal in 2026, this episode will give you the tools you need to determine what’s most important, why it matters to you, and how to go about achieving it. ...
info_outlineFrom increased workplace transparency to paid nursing breaks to background check requirements, many new laws and updates to existing legal framework are set to go into effect in Illinois at the start of 2026. As employment attorneys, Katie Rinkus and Hannah Savaso are here to help you stay on top of the biggest changes. In this episode, we’ll walk you through what’s changing and what both employees and businesses should be aware of heading into the new year.
Tune in to hear Katie and Hannah discuss:
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What Illinois now considers as “unlawful employment practices”
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Which workplace leaves must now be paid
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How state equal pay requirements are becoming more streamlined
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Upcoming restrictions surrounding the use of AI during the hiring process
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How Illinois is being proactive in preserving workers’ safety protections that may be at risk
Whether you’re a business owner or an employee, keeping up to date with the changing workplace is essential. Give this episode a listen to learn what these changes might mean for you!
Stay Connected and Learn More
Read our blog post on Illinois’ New Laws in 2026
Read Katie’s blog post on changes to the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act