The Department of Labor's (DOL) revised regulations interpreting the Family and Medical Leave Act are almost--but not quite--final. Contained in a lengthy proposal that reflects thousands of comments from employers, attorneys, business groups, and others, the new regs contain several changes that will be helpful to employers.
As Russell Investment Group prepared to launch a sabbatical program more than a decade ago, there was concern that many associates on sabbatical would not return to work, says Liz Zielke, a human resources manager with the firm. However, that did not prove to be the case.
Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), author of the original Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and current presidential candidate, announced on February 1 that he will introduce legislation in the coming weeks proposing an expansion of the FMLA, currently an unpaid leave, to provide for at least six weeks of paid leave for employees.
Employees are becoming more and more sophisticated in ways to abuse the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), particularly using intermittent leave when vacation and sick leave are not available. In order to minimize disruption in the workplace, an employer must detect and deal with employees who abuse FMLA.
BLR's recent survey on military leave policies, "USERRA: Are You in Compliance?", revealed that a number of respondents were in violation of two key elements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA): (1) the new notice requirement, and (2) the new rule that extends the period for continuation of healthcare benefits from 18 to 24 months. Read on to make sure that your company is not one of those missing the mark on compliance.
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The title of lawyer Robert L. Duston's presentation said it all: "A Decade Later, and It's Still a Headache: Administering the FMLA."
FMLA administrators have long grappled with the exact meaning of the law's "three days" definition of a qualifying situation, or a serious health condition that incapacitates an employee for "more than three calendar days." One court recently tackled this issue and settled it—for now, at least.
An especially virulent strain of the flu is wreaking havoc on the U.S. In workplaces, that raises the question: Does an employee with the flu qualify for FMLA leave? The answer is: Sometimes...
Complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) poses one of the thorniest challenges an employer can face. Situations involving the law are often complicated—and easy to get wrong. Here are a few cases in which employers erred, along with the lessons we can learn from them.
