HR professionals have long wondered how to make the mandates of FMLA work in their businesses. A solid briefing can help. On October 17, we’ll deliver one.
Yesterday’s Daily Advisor reported on the upsurge in family responsibilities discrimination (FRD) lawsuits. According to those tracking the actions, the number of suits filed for adverse job actions taken against caregivers because they were perceived as less able to succeed at work has skyrocketed some 400 percent in the last decade. And plaintiff victories are the rule rather than the exception, compared to other employment litigation. Jury awards have ranged into six- and even seven-figure territory.
The key to FRD, of course, is that it’s part of the larger issue of work/life balance … a concept that says what you do outside the job is as important as on what’s done at work, and often more so. And that it’s the employer who should bend when outside priorities prevail—with time off, job protection, and flexibility that enables workers to take time when they need it, even if unscheduled or intermittent.
The cornerstone of the work/life movement is the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. Its proponents hail it as a landmark in the “humanization” of business. What about its detractors? Well, they’ve called it “business’s number one headache,” … difficult to administer, easily abused and, when it is, disruptive to employer and co-workers alike.
Uncle Sam gave us the headache. Here comes the remedy … BLR’s special audio conference on handling FMLA in your business. Click for complete info.
That hasn’t stopped the politicians from proposing more ambitious versions of the FMLA for the future, including proposals to lower the company size threshold for compliance, to extend leave to more life events and, in a proposal now gaining support in Congress, to require that FMLA leave be paid. Some states already require it.
To alleviate the confusion over the FMLA, and to clarify the picture going forward, BLR will conduct a special 90-minute audio conference on Wednesday, October 17, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. ET (adjust the hour for your time zone). Presenters are two leading attorneys from the labor and employment law section of Hanson Bridgett Marcus Vlahos and Rudy LLP, one of America’s top law firms.
Topics covered will include:
–Those parts of the FMLA that cause the most confusion, including what many feel is a murky definition of “serious health condition.”
–What factors must be present to designate leave as FMLA-related.
–How to legally require medical verification.
–Steps you can legally take to minimize the disruption intermittent leave requests can cause to your business activity.
–Under what circumstances you can legally require employees to utilize their paid leave to cover FMLA-qualified needs.
–Where FMLA conflicts with ADA and workers’ compensation, and what you need to do to resolve those issues.
–How to account for FMLA when the employee transfers to a different position … an issue that’s tripped up many employers.
–What to do when employees have used up their FMLA leave and still need time off.
–What changes in FMLA are most likely in the future, and how to prepare.
The FMLA may be changing. Get ahead of the curve at BLR’s special October 17 audio conference. Can’t make it that day? Pre-order the CD. Click for ordering options.
As with all BLR audio conferences, you can train as many of your people as can fit around a conference phone, and you’ll be able to get answers to your specific e-mailed or phoned-in questions after the presentation. Can’t attend on October 17? A CD of the session may be pre-ordered, and no matter how you listen in, your satisfaction is assured.
In light of the ongoing debate over FMLA, work/life balance, and FRD, this is an important conference to attend. For more information, to register, or to pre-order a CD, just click the link below.
“FMLA 101”
Learn to handle the law that can take your workers off the job for up to a quarter of a year with BLR’s October 17 “must-hear” audio conference: Family & Medical Leave: How to Properly Administer “HR’s #1 Headache.” Train your entire staff for one low fee. Satisfaction assured. Can’t make it? Pre-order the CD. Read more.
HR Daily Advisor Best Sellers
Here’s what your colleagues are snapping up to make their jobs more efficient and easier. All are protected by BLR’s ‘Guarantee of Satisfaction’ and most can be tried at no cost in your own office for up to 30 days. Just choose and use!
New! Workplace Wellness: Healthy Employees, Healthy Families, Healthy ROI
Brand new and already a top seller! Offers all the information you need to sell management on your program, launch and run it, measure its effectiveness, and do it all legally … with up to a 300 percent ROI! Try it at no risk for 30 days! Read more
New! HR Audit Checklists
Pilots depend on checklists. So should you! Detailed, reproducible lists on EEO, job descriptions, recordkeeping, hiring, benefits, requirements of all key HR laws, to run-through before you or your managers take a major step. Don’t let one slip-up damage your career. Read More.
Compensation.BLR.com
Are you overpaying your employees? Find out at lightning speed on this comprehensive database of state-and industry-specific salary and benefits benchmarking data for hundreds of jobs, plus a library of FLSA and other legal guidance, best practices, White Papers, and comp and benefits news, updated daily. 14 Day Trial! Read more.
What to Do About Personnel Problems in [Your State]
End the state of confusion about federal -state law differences on nearly 200 topics. 49 separate editions plus D.C. A BLR classic with more than 20,000 users! 30 Day Trial! Read More.
SmartPolicies on CD-ROM
Create the most-needed HR policies at about $1 each. Prewritten, legally reviewed, ready-to-use on a CD-ROM. Boot up, include your specifics, print. You’re done! Policies for attendance, harassment, compensation, discipline, and many more. Read More.