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FMLA

The HR I.Q. Test: April ’10

04/20/2010
Test your knowledge of recent trends in employment law, comp & benefits and other HR issues with our monthly mini-quiz …

More leave after FMLA leave?

04/19/2010
Q. One of our employees recently completed 12 weeks of FMLA leave to care for an ill family member. She has now requested a 30-day leave to undergo chemical dependency treatment for alcohol abuse. Since she has already utilized all of her available FMLA leave, are we required to grant this most recent leave request?

Feel free to impose legitimate discipline, even if employee is out on FMLA leave

04/15/2010

The FMLA provides protected leave for employees who meet the law’s eligibility requirements. That protection includes the right to reinstatement to the same or an equivalent position when the employee is ready to return to work. But that right has limits. Employers are entirely within their rights to continue any disciplinary action they began before the employee went out on leave.

Can we force employees to use vacation days as part of FMLA leave?

04/15/2010
Q. In accordance with the FMLA, we provide up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave to eligible employees for a qualified reason. Leave under the FMLA is unpaid. However, may we require employees to concurrently exhaust any earned but unused vacation time that they may have accumulated?

Feel free to impose legitimate discipline on employee, even if she’s on FMLA leave

04/15/2010

Perhaps you have faced this situation: An employee is about to be disciplined, but suddenly applies for FMLA leave. She begins her leave while the discipline is pending. Do you have to wait to punish her? Not if you can clearly show that the punishment is for legitimate reasons and not related to her FMLA leave.

Beware FMLA trap in no-fault attendance policy

04/15/2010
Lots of employers have no-fault attendance policies, which allow a certain number of unexcused absences without any documentation, and then punish employees who go beyond allowable limits. No-fault policies are fine—as long as they don’t penalize workers for taking FMLA time off.

Can we reduce pay for exempt employee who will miss work for intermittent FMLA leave?

04/15/2010
Q. One of our salaried supervisors has informed us that he needs to take two hours off work each week for the next two months to undergo medical treatment. His physician has certified his illness as a “serious health condition” under the FMLA. May we reduce his pay for the time he will miss work, or are we required to continue to pay his full salary to retain his exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act?

Temp position OK during intermittent leave

04/07/2010

When employees take intermittent FMLA leave, it often causes logistical problems for employers. It’s hard to find someone to fill in during just those times when the employee is off. One solution is to find another position for the employee who’s taking intermittent leave. That way, another employee can temporarily fill her old position on a full-time basis.

FMLA eligibility: How serious is that serious health condition?

04/06/2010
One of the trickiest parts of administering FMLA benefits is figuring out just whether an employee’s health condition qualifies for leave. Who decides, and how? Follow this five-step process for making sure an employee’s condition is FMLA-eligible.

How do we calculate the rolling FMLA year?

04/05/2010
One of the four permissible ways for an employer to calculate employees’ 12-week FMLA leave entitlement is to use a 12-month period measured backward from the date an employee uses any FMLA leave. For employers, this rolling 12-month period is the most administratively burdensome—and also the most advantageous.