Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
We have a service repair technician who is required to repair 12 instruments a year, but due to a three-month Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) absence was only able to repair six. May we view him as an unsatisfactory performer and reduce his merit raise? — Anonymous
Should you be coaching instead of managing and supervising? We’ll lay out some coaching basics and tell you about a new January 22 audio conference on successful coaching skills. Coaching is frequent, spontaneous, one-on-one training. Many experts think it is a very effective tool for performance, motivation, and participation. As a performance tool, coaching provides […]
One compliance gray area for employers under the family and medical leave laws concerns the notice employees must provide when they need to take leave. Of course, the easiest situation is when an employee fills out a leave request form and gives you a medical certification supporting the need for leave. But as a recent […]
We have some people who may be abusing our Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) policies. We approved their going out on leave, but now we suspect they don’t qualify. What do you do to identify and stop FMLA abuse?
Some issues have arisen with several of our employees who are out on leave—their jobs have been changed or eliminated, and one employee has done something that warrants termination. But someone told me that these workers are “protected” because they are on leave. Can we go ahead and fire them, or will we be slapped […]
Do you have any general suggestions for dealing with employees who request leaves often? Particularly the difficult ones we’d like to get rid of anyway? We really don’t want to get nailed for unfairly denying leave, especially if our reasons are valid. Thanks. — Anonymous in Anaheim
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 […]
Can an employee take FMLA leave to care for a domestic partner?
With few exceptions, USERRA and related—and even more aggressive—state laws guarantee benefits and reemployment of employees on military leave. We started our briefing yesterday. Here’s the rest of it, and a reference that really explains it. Yesterday’s Daily Advisor laid out the broad requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA.) We […]
When U.S. troops return from Iraq and other battlegrounds, USERRA guarantees their reemployment and benefits. Here’s what you need to know about this Act. Next week brings September and with it an expected major report on the war in Iraq by the commanding general of U.S. armed forces there. Many leaders have said this report […]