Documenting Leave for Adoption—A Q&A on FMLA
By Susan Schoenfeld, JD BLR’s in-house FMLA expert, Susan Schoenfeld, JD, answers a subscriber question about employee leave requests for the adoption of a child.
Tag: leave policy
FMLA Certifications: What You Need to Know
By Marylou Fabbo, JD The moment every supervisor and HR professional dreads … an employee comes into their office and says they want (or need) to take FMLA leave. The knee-jerk reaction may be to approve the leave in order to avoid a possible claim of FMLA interference or retaliation, but denying a request for […]
What is Leave Sharing or Leave Donation?
Have you heard of a leave donation or leave sharing program? In this type of program, employers allow employees to donate some of their accrued paid leave time to other employees who have already used all of theirs but who need additional hours or days to cover an emergency.
For Long-Term Medical Leaves, Communication Is Key
You must be careful when you craft and enforce policies addressing prolonged absences. Even when an employee has exhausted her statutorily protected leave, you should consider offering additional leave as a reasonable accommodation unless you can demonstrate that you would suffer an undue hardship because of the continuing absence.
We Are Family—and Now We Have Protected Status
By Joan Farrell, JD On January 1, 2016, a new law in New York made “familial status” a protected characteristic under the state’s fair employment law. With the new law, New York joins several other states (including Alaska, Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia) that expressly prohibit an employer from discriminating against an […]
Ask the Expert: Do Migraine Headaches Qualify as ‘Serious Health Condition’?
I have an employee who is requesting FMLA paperwork due to having migraines. From my records, I do not see where she has missed 3 consecutive days of work in a row at any given time. She does meet all preliminary requirement for FMLA (worked 12 months, worked 1250 hours, and we have more than […]
How Do FMLA and ADA Impact Your Attendance Policies?
A key part of an employer’s attendance policy is setting objective criteria for when excessive absenteeism requires disciplinary intervention. But how does employee leave taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) factor into your attendance policies and disciplinary practices?
Turnover Costs: What to Include
Of the many HR metrics we study, perhaps some of the most requested are turnover metrics. It’s important to know how much turnover we have so we can make estimates on how much this turnover is costing the organization and to take steps to reduce both the turnover and the associated costs. These costs have […]
Reducing Turnover: Some Ideas to Try
The economy is maintaining a steady 2% rate of growth, and unemployment continues to fall. The market is ripe for many employees to seek better employment. As a result, employers are again looking to keep their best employees on board and motivated. This is no easy task. The cost of turnover is reason enough to […]
FMLA Leave Requires More Than a Single Doctor’s Visit
By Bradley Bakker, JD An employee alleging interference and retaliation under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) needs more than a single doctor’s visit to raise a viable claim against his employer.