A Bridge Forward is on AM560 Chicago!

Get Down to Business is a weekly radio show on AM560 that profiles Chicago area small business owners and entrepreneurs. The host of the radio, Shalom Klein, has a particular penchant for interviewing business owners who have a unique story to tell or business to promote.  

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Ina Silvergleid
To Smoke or not to the Smoke? Why Illinois Employers Have the Power to Regulate Off-Duty Cannabis Use

As the initial hoopla surrounding the legalization of cannabis has died down, the conversation has shifted to more practical considerations raised largely by employers and employees alike: What workplace drug policies should employers adopt? Does my employer get to fire me if I test positive for marijuana, even if I used it during non-work hours? As I noted in a previous posting on the cannabis law, the legislature did not place any restrictions on employers’ ability to impose drug-free workplace policies or, for that matter, be required to make exceptions for medical marijuana users under these policies.

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Ina Silvergleid
Why Applicant Screening Practices Continue to Hinder Employment of People with a Criminal Record

In 2018, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) conducted a survey on employer attitudes towards hiring individuals with a criminal record. In its published findings SHRM reported that HR professionals expressed a greater willingness to hire someone with a criminal record. Yet the same survey found that only 32% of those polled had a formal policy facilitating such hiring decisions.

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Ina Silvergleid