Making Work Better: Employment Law & Workplace Challenges

In this episode of Tales from Around the Watercooler, Prinz staff describe how callers can best ensure their legal matters gets to an attorney. Paralegal (and former Intake Specialist) Marcet Crockett and current Intake Specialist Grace Moore discuss the process of handling communications with potential new clients at the firm. They provide listeners with first-hand insight into the information th...

In this episode, Kristen chats with two of The Prinz Law Firm's Associate Attorneys, Poonam Lakhani and Elizabeth Hanford. They discuss a recent policy implemented by the tech company Basecamp that banned employees from discussing political and social issues in the workplace. Our attorneys explore the legality of regulating conversations at work and the slippery slope that can occur when employers...

In this episode, Kristen chats with Poonam Lakhani, one of The Prinz Law Firm's associate attorneys, about how COVID-19 intersects with workplace privacy. Kristen & Poonam discuss whether businesses can require employees to get vaccinated, if an employer can ask about vaccine status, and workplace safety measures during the vaccine rollout. Kristen and Poonam also dive into the privacy concerns su...

In this episode, Kristen sits down with one of the firm's associate attorneys, Laura Lefkow-Hynes, to discuss a little-known but crucial law in Illinois named the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA). VESSA allows workers facing domestic violence to take time off of work, among other provisions. Kristen & Laura take a deep-dive into the origins of VESSA, whom it protects, and how to a...

In this episode, Mike Michalowicz, innovative entrepreneur and author of seven books, sits down with Kristen to discuss what is perhaps his most impactful work, Profit First . Mike shares the heartbreaking story that eventually led him to write this book as well as how the principle of "profit first" can facilitate positive change in a business. Kristen and Mike also discuss the effect that "profi...

In this episode, Kristen and fellow Prinz Law Firm Partner Amit Bindra do a deep dive into non-compete agreements. Amit has significant experience litigating these matters and is also the author of a bill currently pending in the Illinois legislature: H.B. 789 and its counterpart, S.B. 3430. In this episode, Amit educates us on what non-competes really are, when they apply, and the advantages and...

In this episode, Kristen announces the re-launch of Tales From Around The Water Cooler as it centers even more on workplace stories and employment law. Kristen and fellow Prinz Law Firm attorney Christina Hynes Mesco dive into a dynamic discussion of the meaning of the well-known phrase "wrongful termination." They provide specific anecdotes from their legal experience, including the many grounds...

On this week's episode of Tales Around the Water Cooler, Kristen sits down with Senior User Experience Designer and longtime friend Alison Gaddis. They run the gamut of topics regarding their careers, beginning with their very first job together at Coconut's Music and Movies. Kristen and Alison share their experiences as two women in leadership roles. The two chat about how to handle uncomfortable...

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," Amy M. Gardner, certified Career and Career Transitions Coach, shares her advice for navigating work in the midst of everyday life during these uncertain times. She shares personal testimony of switching careers after a life-changing German Marshall Fellowship and offers guidance on how to transform one's passion into a business. Amy and Kri...

Kristen sits down with Derek Drake, CEO and co-founder of Ditto Foods LLC., to talk food, farming, and entrepreneurship. Ditto Foods, which provides high-quality produce grown in a controlled environment to communities and customers, is a new startup. They discuss the difficulties of starting a new business in a pandemic, and the factors in Derek's life that gave him his interest in compassionate...

Founder of networking advisory company keepwith® Megan Burke recently joined Kristen to discuss networking and entrepreneurship during a pandemic. As a networking consultant, Megan's start-up has been heavily impacted by COVID-19, but the launch of a new digital service and other leaps forward have paradoxically led to unprecedented growth for keepwith. Megan and Kristen discuss these challenges a...

The past several years have revealed just how widespread the problem of harassment in the workplace is. In this episode of Tales From Around The Water Cooler, Kristen Prinz and Christina Hynes Mesco of The Prinz Law Firm have a frank discussion about anti-harassment trainings in the workplace. The duo breaks down what constitutes harassment and how companies can address the issue, from mandatory s...

Show Notes: Carter Crockett calls in from Kigali, Rwanda, where he owns and manages a Karisimbi Business Partners, the first consulting firm in the country paid by business leaders to help with strategic decisions, often by providing business plans, market research, feasibility studies and more. He and Kristen discuss how one ends up doing social entrepreneurship in a small African country, and ho...

Kristen talks work and life with Marcy Twete, founder of her own consulting business and expert in corporate responsibility and sustainability. From the failure of her first venture into entrepreneurship to the success she found through networking in a new city, fearlessness and ambition have played important roles in Marcy's journey to where she is now. They also discuss the responsibility of cor...

Kristen welcomes Brad Spirrison, an entrepreneur many times over who has made a mark in various sectors, from sports journalism to educational technology to the burgeoning cannabis marketplace. In this one-on-one conversation, Brad discusses his professional path, characterized by risk-taking and creating companies from the ground up. He also explains his interest in emerging markets and highlight...

Kristen welcomes dentist Dr. Anushka Gaglani, co-owner of TruBlue Dentistry, to the show to discuss returning to work post-quarantine. They explore the anxiety felt by employees, employers, and the general public about returning to business as "usual" as well as the measures businesses are taking to ensure safety. Some dentists' offices and other clinics are implementing staggered appointments, te...

Kristen Prinz sits down (remotely) with President and CEO of KODO Care Chad Kodiak, Founder and CEO of Aqueity Dan Dunn, and Co-Founder and CMO of mSEED Group Anthony Standifer to talk about bringing employees back to work after weeks or months of quarantine. Representing a variety of business sectors, these leaders have employed unique strategies for returning to work, tailored to their respectiv...

Kristen Prinz welcomes Christy Lyons to this episode "Tales from Around the Water Cooler" to talk about returning to work during and after the COVID-19 pandemic from a Human Resources perspective. Christy Lyons is a sought-after HR consultant and founder of 4 Point Consulting, which works with companies of all sizes to create customized plans for HR and talent acquisition. They discuss the challen...

Times are strange. Kristen and Amit share the mic for a discussion about the myriad effects of COVID-19 on businesses. From the difficulties of working from home to the anxieties with which many business-owners struggle on a daily basis, work has changed in almost every way. They discuss the importance of regular communication between leaders and their employees, noting that this is a time in whic...

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler", Kristen sits down with Carol Semrad, principal of C. Semrad & Associates, where she does human resources consulting for small- to medium-sized companies. Carol and Kristen discuss the important of networking and relationships in the workplace environment of today, which can be unpredictable and quick to change. They talk about the challenges...

Tune in to hear Kristen share the mic with Shadin Maali, Principal in Allen Austin/Gaines International's executive search practice, where she focuses on the architecture, engineering and construction sectors. Shadin shares her views on how women bring particular strengths to the relationship-building facet of search and how search is navigating the market's current talent squeeze. One of her favo...

"HR has changed. HR is no longer the compliance department, it shouldn't be the police department, and it better not be the therapist's office."   That's just a taste of what you'll get in this podcast. Tune in as Kristen shares the mic with Nicole Martin, founder and CEO of human resource management consultancy HR Boost, to discuss what got her started in HR consulting, living each day with prese...

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," Anjali Jariwala, CPA and CFP®, founder of FIT Advisors—a financial planning firm serving physicians and business owners virtually across the U.S.—takes us through the factors that influenced her decision to launch her own business. Anjali explores the challenges she experiences as a business owner and provides us with tips on how she maintai...

In this episode of "Tales from Around the Water Cooler," Gary Kaplan, Leader for XL Catlin's North America Construction unit, returns to the show and offers greater insight behind his Project Centric Leadership style. Gary breaks down the steps of his Leadership, Planning and Execution Model that he practices to create change and success at XL. He and Kristen also discuss values and favorite books...

In this episode, we go "behind the mic" with Kristen Prinz to discuss her personal and professional path to becoming an established attorney and small business owner. The firm's legal assistant Matt takes us on a blast to the past to learn of Kristen's high school habits, what led her to law school, and why she entered employment and business law. Starting from an office in "a windowless closet,"...