New Illinois law aims to protect employees who use work devices to document violent crimes
Illinois workers who experience domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking now have clearer protections under a new amendment to state law that took effect this month.
The amendment to the Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act, or VESSA, ensures employees can use work-provided devices, such as computers, tablets or cellphones, to document evidence of violence without fear of discipline or retaliation. The update recognizes that victims may not always have access to personal devices during moments of crisis.
“No one should have to choose between their safety and their job when documenting violence against themselves or their family,” Jane Flanagan, director at the Illinois Department of Labor, said in a press release on Monday.
Employees can use company-owned technology to record or preserve photos, videos, messages or other digital evidence related to violence affecting themselves or their family members. Employers are also required to provide employees access to any documentation stored on those devices.
The new law builds on existing VESSA protections, managed by the Department of Labor, which allow eligible employees to take job-protected leave and request reasonable workplace accommodations related to violence.
While other states have workplace violence prevention laws, as well as protections for reporting violence or harassment, Illinois may be the first state to directly tie those protections to the use of employer technology for evidence.
