In this free webinar, we'll take a deeper dive into the key fundamentals of FMLA as well as define what qualifies as an FMLA serious health condition.

Typically, when the term FMLA comes up, most people (that is, anyone NOT employed in the field of Human Resources) immediately think of maternity leave. While FMLA obviously does kick in for maternity leave, according to ERC’s research, when it comes to administering FMLA, pregnancy/maternity leave is really the least of HR’s worries. Instead, for most HR practitioners, the challenge lies in the administration of FMLA for serious health conditions and/or other circumstances outside of pregnancy and child birth.

Absence management comes in many different shapes and sizes. Oftentimes issues arise in the workplace regarding absence management or FMLA and the intricate compliance laws and requirements may make handling the issue more complicated than expected. ERC’s Help Desk compiled a list of frequently asked questions we receive from our local members and with the help of CareWorks, here’s the answers to those questions:

Granting or denying FMLA leave involves a multi-step process, in which the designation notice is the final step. 

The designation notice, provided by the U.S. Department of Labor as a documentation resource, is an easy-to-use tool that allows an employer to inform an employee whether the request for leave is covered under the FMLA.

The designation notice is essentially a document that serves as the leave contract between an employer and employee. It is completed by an HR professional and shared with the employee, and specifies the number of weeks, days, or hours (in the case of intermittent leave) that the leave will take place.

The designation notice tells the employee one of five things:

1. FMLA leave is approved
2. More information is needed to determine if leave can be approved
3. Leave is denied
4. FMLA does not cover the leave requested
5. Employee has exhausted his or her FMLA leave entitlement for that 12 month period

In the last decade, organizations report increasing difficulties in certain facets of FMLA administration (DOL). 2015's ERC FMLA Practices Survey reports only 15% of local organizations are “very satisfied” with their FMLA administration efforts. Read on to learn which 5 challenges Northeast Ohio employers are citing most frequently, and what solutions you can implement in your own organization to resolve these challenges.

Many employers struggle with the question of whether an employee’s request for medical leave is covered under FMLA as a serious medical condition.

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides certain employees up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year. It is also required that health benefits be maintained while the employee is on leave.

From marriage equality to proposed changes to overtime exemptions (not to mention the Supreme Court ruling that again affirmed the ACA), HR professionals across the country are taking a collective breath after a week of landmark rulings and proposed new regulations that impact the employment landscape. Here is what employers need to know (and do) now.

When an employee takes a “leave of absence," this time away from work can take many forms depending on the situation. From the Family & Medical Leave to Short Term Disability to jury duty to bereavement to military leave, these various policies and structures do share the common purpose of allowing an employee to take time away from work above and beyond vacation time or sick days, while also protecting the employer from potential abuses of these leave requests.

As of March 27, 2015,  another change to the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will be followed by employers nationwide. There is now a revised definition of “spouse” and it includes same-sex married couples in all 50 states.