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Leave

What can we do? Employee may have been faking need for FMLA leave

01/11/2010

Q. An employee went out of FMLA leave three weeks ago to undergo and recover from knee surgery. Last night, a reliable and trusted employee spotted him at the local YMCA playing a game of pick-up basketball. We now have serious doubts about the validity of his FMLA leave. Is there anything we can do?

OK to redistribute work as FMLA leave nears

01/11/2010

When an employee plans on taking FMLA leave, employers have to plan for the impending absence. That can include reassigning the employee to a less “mission-critical” job or temporarily removing responsibilities. Don’t worry that doing so will trigger a successful FMLA lawsuit.

Suspect doc is a ‘certification specialist’? Ask for second and even third opinions

01/11/2010

It happens more often than you might think. An HR office begins receiving an unusual number of FMLA certifications from the same doctor. The sudden deluge happens during peak production times when employees are required to work mandatory overtime. It all points to what amounts to a scam:

Tell managers: No comments on family planning

01/11/2010

Some comments simply aren’t appropriate in the workplace—especially when the person weighing in is a supervisor or manager. Most bosses understand they can’t use ethnic or racial slurs, but many don’t understand that the same common sense applies to discussing family planning.

What are our notice requirements for responding to an employee’s FMLA request?

01/11/2010

Q. We have an employee who just told us she needs leave to care for her son, who is in the hospital. What are our time restraints in responding to the request?

How much advance notice can we demand when an employee wants to take FMLA leave?

01/11/2010

Q. How much notice should an employee give an employer before taking FMLA leave?

Can we retroactively designate FMLA leave?

01/11/2010

Q. We have an employee who is on leave for two weeks to care for her ill husband. She is also pregnant and has told us she wants to take FMLA leave after she gives birth. We haven’t yet designated her current time off as FMLA leave. Can we do so and cut her entitlement by two weeks?

Does calling in ‘sick’ constitute FMLA notice?

01/11/2010

Q. Is calling in “sick” sufficient notice that an employee needs FMLA leave?

Tell employees on FMLA leave: No working from home

12/30/2009

Because FMLA leave is an entitlement, employers aren’t allowed to interfere with it. And interference can include requiring employees to perform work during their leave. That’s why it’s important to make arrangements for work to be completed without help from the employee on leave.

Don’t automatically grant FMLA leave for stress

12/28/2009

Employees often claim their jobs stress them out. And for some, it’s so bad they feel they need to take off work for a week or so to cope. That doesn’t mean, however, that employees are automatically entitled to use FMLA leave. Even if they get a doctor to write a note “prescribing” rest, they don’t qualify for FMLA leave unless there’s some additional treatment ordered, such as medication or counseling.