Tag: Leave Management
Short Takes: Domestic Partner FMLA
Can my employee take FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) leave to care for a domestic partner’s child?
Should Employers Pay for ‘Hurricane Time Off?’
In the past, employers have paid for time off during weather disasters. After last year’s huge losses, that may be changing. The important thing is to have a policy ahead of the storm. Wilma, Frances, and, of course, Katrina. Say those names a year or so ago and you might have been talking about someone’s […]
DOL Declares FLSA War! Here’s How to Stay Out of the Line of Fire
FLSA overtime violations have replaced discrimination as DOL’s number one target. Do a self-audit and keep investigators at bay. There’s a war being waged in America’s workplaces. The aggressors are the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division and employment law attorneys, often pursuing class action suits. Their targets have included some of America’s largest […]
Grappling with HR’s #1 Headache … the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
How BLR editors dealt with FMLA … one of the most complex compliance challenges ever to face HR … and the solution they found to handle it. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 has been called “HR’s #1 Headache.” It’s easy to see why. While celebrating family values (even the law’s acronym, “FMLA,” […]
Absenteeism in the Workplace: How to Handle it Legally and Effectively
Absenteeism in the workplace raises costs and undercuts teamwork. There are ways to handle it, but first make sure it’s not an FMLA- or ADA-protected situation. “Playing hooky.” “Taking mental health days.” “Fishing therapy.” Call it what you will, but excessive and especially unauthorized absenteeism in the workplace is a chronic issue for business. It […]
Family Leave: We’re a Small Company—Are We Covered by FMLA?
We are a small California business with 14 employees. We are not supposed to be subject to FMLA, but our lawyer says we are. This is because we have FMLA eligibility information included in our handbook. But the eligibility clause clearly states that “employees who work at a location where the Company employs fewer than […]
Adding Up the Costs of the Family & Medical Leave Act – FMLA
A business-funded think tank has surveyed employers and concluded they “face a significant financial burden” when it comes to complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Based on its survey, the Washington, D.C.-based Employment Policy Foundation (EPF) estimates that FMLA compliance cost employers $21 billion in 2004. The direct costs included net labor […]
Family Leave: What Can We Do to Prevent “Stacking” of Leave?
When one employee’s son was born, he took 10 days of vacation. Then he took five days of sick leave, and now he has requested FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) leave. We didn’t see all this leave coming. Do we have to give him 12 additional weeks of time off, or can we make […]
New FMLA Rules Coming Soon
The U.S. Department of Labor, which enforces the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), has announced that it will soon publish—by June 2006—a new rule conforming the department’s regulations to recent court decisions concerning the FMLA.