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76 episodes
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Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges The Prinz Law Firm
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Making Work Better explores employment law, business issues, and workplace challenges through personal narratives and legal commentary. Our employment attorney experts and their guests discuss everything from new laws and human resources challenges to launching a small business or forging a unique career path. As the flagship program of The Prinz Law Firm in Chicago, this podcast will not feature legal advice—just conversations that help us all to make work better, regardless of our role.
You might remember Making Work Better as "Tales from Around the Watercooler." We rebranded to better reflect the employment focus of our content.
Learn about the firm and its work at https://www.prinz-lawfirm.com.
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Ep. 22 – Dom’s, Foxtrot, and The WARN Act
Employment attorney Kristin Hendriksen draws on her experience in a past life in restaurant operations to discuss the WARN Act and recent business closures with Matt Tedeschi, an employment paralegal and Marketing Manager at the firm.
Kristin and Matt explain what the WARN Act is and why it was passed before discussing the sudden shuttering of all locations of Dom’s and Foxtrot and the termination of all employees. They also touch upon the closure of the Signature Room in Chicago and a lawsuit that recently saw a large settlement for its former workers.
Could Dom’s and Foxtrot face the same fate? What should businesses do if they plan on terminating a large number of workers or closing several locations? Kristin and Matt offer their predictions and provide key advice for business owners and management.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
Read Matt’s blog on Dom’s & Foxtrot
Read Matt’s blog on the Signature Room
The Prinz Law Firm
Kristin Hendriksen
Matt Tedeschi -
Ep. 21 – Did the FTC Just Ban Non-Competes? (Non-Competes IV)
In a sweeping action, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently published its final rule on non-competes, effectively banning them completely. Both individuals and businesses are wondering what this means for them currently and in the future. Employment attorneys and business counselors Amit Bindra and Rebecca Chmielewski examine what is likely to happen next and what both employees and employers need to know.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
Read Amit’s post on the FTC ban
The Prinz Law Firm
Amit Bindra
Connect with Amit on Twitter
Rebecca Chmielewski
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Ep. 20 – What Is a PLLC…and Does My Business Need to Be One?
Some states require that certain business entities register as a PLLC (or professional limited liability company) and not simply as an LLC (limited liability company). Business and employment attorneys Katie Rinkus and Rebecca Chmielewski discuss the distinction between LLCs and PLLCs and the requirements for forming a PLLC under Illinois law. They specifically address both how to convert an existing LLC into a PLLC and how to establish a company as a PLLC from the beginning. They also explain the nuts and bolts of filing the necessary documents and the potential penalties that can be levied for not being registered correctly. Tune in to learn all about PLLCs and whether your business needs to be registered as one.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
Read Katie’s blog post on PLLCs
IDFPR’s PLLC page
The Prinz Law Firm
Katie Rinkus
Rebecca Chmielewski -
Ep. 19 – 10 Essentials When Hiring Your First Employee
Employment attorneys and business counselors Katie Rinkus and Poonam Lakhani discuss the top 10 essential things to know or do when hiring your first employee. From how to conduct a background check to when to use a confidentiality agreement or register with state agencies, Katie and Poonam cover the gamut of concerns that business owners encounter when they are finally ready to become employers.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
The Prinz Law Firm
Poonam Lakhani
Katie Rinkus
Read Katie’s blog post on hiring a new employee -
Ep. 18 – An Introduction to Culture Audits (Investigations III)
Seasoned workplace investigators Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco discuss one of their favorite topics: culture audits! They discuss how audits can help prevent workplace problems before they arise, enabling organizations to avoid the costs of poor company culture: legal liability, legal fees, and lost productivity. More than that, culture audits signal to employees that the organization cares about them and their input, and takes workplace culture seriously. This episode is for anyone who wants to get the pulse of their organization and maintain a healthy work environment.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
The Prinz Law Firm
Kristen Prinz
Christina Hynes Mesco
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Ep. 17 – Disrupting Workplace Discrimination
Kristen Prinz welcomes to the mic Chiquita Hall-Jackson, a lawyer, DEI consultant, and community advocate known as the “Discrimination Disrupter.” Chiquita strives to dismantle systems of bias, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace, and is recently the author of We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics.
In their wide-ranging conversation, Kristen and Chiquita address the difficulties that minority employees often face in the workplace, especially women of color, including remaining unseen and being passed over for promotion. Chiquita encourages employees to use these situations as opportunities to educate their colleagues, and she advises workers to use their voices to advocate for themselves and to make room in the workplace for the diverse talent that will come after them.
Kristen and Chiquita discuss their own experiences, the necessity of charting your own career path and goals, and the difficult choice workers must sometimes face: to stay within a system that can be difficult to navigate or to strike out on your own.
This episode will enable you to become a bolder you at work, more aligned with your own values and career goals. Perhaps more than anything else, you will learn some tools to “be alright” and continue navigating the dynamics of challenging workplaces.
Stay Connected & Learn More:
The Prinz Law Firm
Kristen Prinz
Chiquita Hall-Jackson’s personal website
We Gon’ Be Alright: A Black Executive's Guide to Navigating Workplace Dynamics
Chiquita Hall-Jackson on LinkedIn
Hall-Jackson and Associates, P.C.