December 16th - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has addressed the most common employer questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. As of now, there are currently no state or federal laws that prohibit employers from requiring vaccinations as a condition of employment, however, employees can refuse to get the vaccine if they have certain medical conditions, challenge the mandate based on sincerely-held religious beliefs, or for disability-related reasons. If this occurs, the EEOC says that the employee cannot be excluded from the workplace, unless the employer can establish the unvaccinated employee poses a direct threat to themselves or others that cannot be eliminated by providing the employee a reasonable accommodation.
For more information on these new guidelines, and for answers to some common vaccine-related questions, we recommend referring to this blog post: https://www.saul.com/blogs/wise-workplace-initiatives-and-strategies-employers/frequently-asked-questions-workplace
Welcome Our New BOD Member!
Welcome Sherry Jursa! We’re happy to welcome Sherry Jursa from PNC‘s Business Banking wing to the Empower Board. Sherry holds an MBA from Northern Illinois University and a BA from North Central College in Political Science. With over 15 years’ experience in banking, Sherry is a proven professional who strives to provide excellence while meeting…
Small Business Mayoral Forum
SPONSORS Fifth Third Bank Saul Ewing Arnstein Lehr Inland Bank Interprenet Signature Bank Lexitas Korey Richardson Open One Solutions Byline DoorDash RockyTop Insperity SpeedPro Chicago Loop CVS
Legislation to Support Local Chambers Passes
Many chambers of commerce were devastated by the pandemic. However, this did not stop them from providing crucial support to local businesses. The SBAC is thrilled to report that Illinois politicians have provided 5 million dollars to support the recovery of chambers of commerce in Illinois. The SBAC has been working to procure this funding…